In the early hours the front door of the inn is slammed shut and a set of heavy feet run up the stairs which makes Yè fēng come busting out of his room to see it is a dwarf.
“What do you think you are doing at this hour?” he questions in a bold soft voice. “Can't you be anymore noisier, hmm?”
The dwarf bows and apologises, “I am so sorry, Healer, I am kind of in a hurry.”
The teacher leans down to him and snaps, “Yes, I think I have gathered that. Still you could be a little more courteous when this is an inn and not your family home.”
“Yes, you are right, Healer.”
Yè fēng wipes the sleep dust from his eyes as he enquires, “Who are you here to see?… Why did I bother asking that? When I know you are after Raven, aren't you?”
The dwarf is a little surprised and he stutters, “Y-yes, how did you know that?”
“Let’s call it a hunch. You do realises he will be off to bed at this hour, hmm?”
“Y-yes, but this is an emergency,” answers the dwarf watching the Snow Elf again lean down to look him dead in the eye. “Well, he did ask to be notified of any other ships belonging to Valley Elves… well, another has been seen just drifting down the Silver Mist River towards the sea.”
“That’s the main rout to Windomfalls. What do you mean by drifting? What exactly is the ship doing?”
“It has been reported that no life has been seen on deck and there is a strange mist hanging over it. And when the wind blows it carries with it the stench of death.”
The door across the landing opens and Dusk comes stepping out closing his robe over his body a little more. “What the fuck?” You’re kidding, right?”
The dwarf shakes his head. “No, Dusk, I swear there are too many reports of the same thing, cargo ship the Buthesce sighted drifting down Silver Mist River, all crew on deck dead and a strange whitish, pinkish, purple mist hangs over the ship.”
Yè fēng’s hands grip the front of his night robe and his expression turns to horror. “It’s the curse. It is why Moonlit Cove is out of bounds. Why are they doing this again?”
The dwarf begins to panic and questions, “C-curse! What kind of curse?”
Dusk gives the teacher a hug and replies, “The Kiss of Death, a pretty nasty curse. We need to establish what the hell is going on before more lives are lost.”
Then the next thing all of them hear is an angry, “Aaah! My eyes!”
Yè fēng quickly closes the shutters on the landing window and Dusk goes to his lover. “Darling, I should have warned you, don’t come out the dreaded suns are beaming through the window.”
Raven chuckles and slightly rises his hands as he responds in a pretend panic, “Ah, the suns! They burn!” They giggle and then the legend opens his eyes and calls, “Josdraes, my boy, you do realise I can’t see a fecking thing in the daylight, right?”
“Yes, uncle, I do understand, it’s just that—”
“I know,” interrupts the hero, “no one can get close to it and you need me to sort it out. Why me? I do have a son and grandchildren. One of them is more than capable…” he sighs and shakes his head. “Scratch that they cannot call forth the Mage’s Claw which I am going to need to send another Extractor or two over to the ship. This better not be some wild goose chase.”
“I swear to you, uncle it is not,” answer the dwarf placing his hands together. “Thanks, uncle.”
Raven crouches down in front of him and grips his shoulder. “Listen to me, you must put the word out, no more Valley Elf ships are allowed to leave any dock until they have been checked for any maps regarding Moonlit Cove. Also if any are found to be carrying Fuchsite Gems it is already too late and the crew are to be sent back to that cursed place to await their fate. Understood?”
“Yes, uncle, I will get right to it,” answers Josdraes and quickly makes his way downstairs.
The Vern helps his husband to rise and they both hear the teacher say, “Not again,” before he returns to his room. Raven leads his lover back inside their room and once he has closed the door he says in a soft voice, “He is not doing well. It is understandable when this bringing back so many bad memories. I am starting to suspect he lost someone he was close to.”
“I am also getting that vibe, that is why I will understand if he does not want to come with us.”
“Exactly, as the last thing we want is to cause him more upset. Right, I’d better get washed and dressed.”
Dusk pulls him close and teases, “No, just go in your dressing gown, it will be fine.”
Raven giggles and shakes his head. “And give everyone a cheap frill, I think not as you are the only one who gets to see him.”
“Ooh, yes, to see all of you,” replies the Vern removing his lover’s robe and pulls him on to the bed.
They both take a moment to kiss and cuddle each other's naked bodies before they put their night robes back on, scoop up their clothes and make their way to the bathroom. The couple help each other to have a wash down before they get dressed and make their way to the kitchen to grab a cup of tea and some nice hot flatbread that has been topped with seeds and honey.
A few minutes later Yè fēng enters and it is clear from his pink eyes he has been weeping. The couple give him a hug which makes him happy but a little awkward at the same time.
“Aww, bless you both, I am all right… it’s just that this is getting to be too much,” says the teacher in a soft voice.
“Look, if you want to sit this one out, Dusk and I understand.”
“No, no, I will be fine. Besides I have to make sure it is the curse.”
“We understand,” replies the legend glancing to his husband who also gives a happy nod.
Yè fēng pours himself a cup of tea and states, “I thought the warnings would be enough to deter people from that dreadful place, at last it was a waist of time. How many more lives have to be lost before people realise curses are very real.”
“The thing is,” answers Dusk, “no matter how many centuries go by people will be drawn to curiosity to discover for themselves if it is real or not. This great fortune they are wanting, any ideas what it is?”
The teacher takes a seat at the table and drinks some of his tea before he answers, “This story surfaced during the war, it was about a place that was filled with rich land, rolling hills and a clam river. It was discovered what the Valley Elves were after was lost a long time ago to four volcanos, three of which are still active to this day. You both will know it as, Ash Valley or Amber Ravine.”
“Yes, I have heard of them,” answers Raven. “It’s a place which lies on the other side of the swamp, right?”
“Correct. That is what the Valley Elves are wanting to get back to. That now volcanic wasteland all because someone keeps telling them of this great place that will give them what they are craving for, good land,” informs Yè fēng rising from the table. “So many times it has been proven to be nothing more than a story, yet they still do ridiculous things to get back to that… I guess paradise. The reason I am getting upset is because once again it is the young and the venerable who are being targeted and at this rate their race will vanish like so many others.”
Raven and Dusk know all too well what he is on about, most of the elf races are extinct and the ones left their numbers are dwindling. They are looking at the last of the West Snow Elves and their son Jiéjīng is the last of the North Snow Elves. This is why they understand their old friend’s anger and upset when he has been through so much.
The teacher clears his throat and apologies, “Sorry, I should not have said that.”
“Hey, it is all right when you are so correct and we are all thinking it,” responds Dusk taking hold of his old friend’s hand. “You can moan all you like, we aren’t going to mind.”
“Not one bit,” says Raven. “Right, ready to get going?” The others nod and they all take a moment to finish their cups of tea before making their way outside to a gate.
✶✶✶
The bustling town of Windomfalls soon appears, the bridge is already clogged with the morning rush and with the guards being busy checking paperwork the party are able to slip by without being noticed. They quickly make their way through the busy marketplace and down a street which takes them to a grand dockyard. The dwarf in change is a lady who likes things done to the letter and there is no room for mistakes. She begins to notice through the crowd a set of horns and wavy black hair that has a blue sheen to it.
The lady quickly hands the paperwork to one of main operators and quickly makes her way down the dock to see it is a Vern dressed in a purple coat. “Dusk, what are you doing here?”
“Andreana, my dear,” he replies crouching down to her. “I am here with Raven who has gone to find us a boat that will take us to the drifting ship.”
The woman is shocked that word about it had reached them so quickly. “How come you have heard about it so soon, the thing was only spotted last night.”
The Vern laughs and explains, “We were only next door.”
“Oh, how long have you been in Norven’s Gate?”
“Just a few days.”
“I see. Well, you will be pleased to hear we are at this moment carrying out Raven’s orders and so far all we have docked here are two Valley Elf cargo ships who seem to be squeaky clean, if you can believe that, I don’t.”
“Neither do I. Why is it always them cursing trouble?”
“Oh, I say it is in their nature, they have to curse the rest of us havoc, most of the time for no other reason other than to delay things and ruin it for everyone else. They are not exactly a liveliest bunch either and lousy tippers, I hear.”
Dusk rests his hands on his hips and remarks, “Oh, shocking, just terrible, no way to behave.”
Andreana giggles and taps him on the shoulder for she knows he doesn’t actually mean it and she joins in, “I know just awful.”
The Vern rises and questions, “Apart from that, they have been all right?”
The lady nods. “Yeah, just the usual, dull, dull. Why are Valley Elves so boring?”
“Because they are a dull race,” remarks Raven walking over to them. “Hey, Andreana, how you doing, flower?”
“I am doing great. Uncle.”
“Yes,” answers the legend crouching down to her. “What you wanting?”
Andreana frowns and is quick to respond, “Nothing, I was just wondering if we should threaten them with jail if they don’t cooperate, or is that a bit harsh?”
“No at all, flower, when this is turning into a serious matter, three ships have been effected, so far we are yet to determine if the crew of the Yulescissa are also effect, we will only know that in two days time.”
The lady places a hand to her chest and her expression turns to a mix of horror and worry. “Why is this happening?”
Raven shrugs and replies, “No idea. Hopefully there are clues on that drifting ship.”
“Good luck, uncle,” says Andreana giving him a hug.
“Thanks, we all need it,” remarks the legend giving her a kiss on the top of her head as he rises. Then it dawns on him they have no way to protect themselves from that mist. “Damn! We need some kind of barrier so we are not affected by the curse.”
Dusk quickly takes out the book which their aunty gave them and flicks through it. “No, nothing. Hold on, the back board has a lump,” he says holding the edge of the of back cover near his eyes.
“Lump? Like something is hidden?” Raven question pulling his hood forward more to cast a deeper shadow over his face.
The Vern takes his time to feel the backing paper around the edge until he finds a small slit near the spine side and uses his nail to pullout a piece of paper. “Yep, something was differently being hidden. Ooh, I hate this fine paper, it’s so fragile.”
“Take your time and treat it like an egg,” recommends the legend listening to the rustling sounds as his love unfolds the thin paper which sounds to him like tissue paper he would use to wrap some delicate in.
However, the piece of paper appears to be blank, Dusk turns it over, he even holds it up into the light to see in the top left hand corner is an a watermark of a bird. “A raven… ah, I need to perform a reveal spell,” he says going on to utter the it and sure enough words he is unable to read begin to slowly appear. “Darling, over to you.”
The legend holds the paper in the shadows being made by his lover’s body so he is able to read and starts to laugh. “What a qinkidink the very spell we need to create a barrier which is kind of similar to the Box Barrier, however, this will not neutralise our lovely magic.”
“Ooh, now that sounds interesting,” responds Dusk looking at the small piece of paper. “Yet at the same time I am thinking is it safe?”
“Yeah, it is just a combination of a reflective and protection barrier.”
“I like the way he said that in a clam voice,” states Andreana pointing her hand at the legend. “I am also a little concerned for you have no idea how long that has been in there and are you sure it will block a curse?”
Raven can hear the worry in both his love one's voices and he gives them each in turn a hug. “I note your concern and I am going to say it has been tested, for the raven watermark is a clue it was used by a powerful Orb Master.”
The lady looks up at her uncle, even though she knows of his capabilities she cannot help but still feel worried and she tries her best not to show it as she says, “In that case I hope it all goes well, uncle.”
The Vern grips her shoulder and gives her words of encouragement, “Raven knows that he is doing, it is why I trust him without a doubt.”
“Even when I should be in bed,” remarks Raven as he starts yawn. “Ooh, it really is getting too bright to see.”
Suddenly a dark shadow is cast over them and Yè fēng announces, “Ta-da! One dark, dark parasol.”
“Ah, that is where you disappeared to,” stresses Dusk admiring the big cloth umbrella that has been lined with black silk and appears to have tassels hanging down from the corners.
“Yep, the perfect thing we need for a Summoner to shield him from the dreaded light of the suns,” replies the teacher with a giggle.
Raven nods in approval. “This is nice, however, out at sea are you both going to be able to hold on to it?”
“Hold? No, I was going to tie it to the railings at the front of the ship,” explains Yè fēng. “This thing is heavy enough getting it down to you. Here, Dusk, you take over,” he grumbles stuffing the pole into the Vern’s strong hands.
Dusk rests the pole agents his right shoulder and says, “You should have called me.”
The teacher realises an angry sigh and answers in a huff, “I did, but you clearly didn’t hear me over the noise of the harbour.” He gives his throbbing hands a rub. “Ooh, my poor healing hands are not built for carrying that thing. Ow, ow.”
Raven gently takes hold of each one of his old friend’s hands and gives them in turn a soft rub. “Aww, there, there, feeling better, hmm?”
Yè fēng chuckles and nods. “Yes, that’s helped. Right, let’s get going to the, what was the ship called?”
“Wood mouse,” answers Raven raising his eyebrows. “Odd name for a ship. Even so it was them who reported spotting the ship which is now stuck in the sandbank to the right of the mouth of the sea." When he hears his husband moan a little it makes him ask, "Are you sure you are all right carrying that?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, it’s not that heavy. I don’t know what he was complaining about,” responds the Vern knowing full well the teacher will slap him. “Ooh, I love it when you discipline me.”
Yè fēng just sighs and walks off making Andreana say, “You shouldn’t tease him, Dusk.”
“Ah, you see, my dear, I love making him go pink, it is very flattering on him.”
“You are right, sweetie, he looks fabulous. Come, we best catch up with him.”
The couple quickly make their way down the dock to the awaiting ship and the captain, a lively dwarf welcomes them aboard. His second mate, however, is not so friendly or happy about having a Vern aboard as some view it as bad luck with them being fire creatures.
The ship sails down the calm river and through a few locks to reach the main stretch that leads out to sea and over on the right a large cargo ship begins to come into view. The sales flap in the breeze coming off the sea and the stench of decay fills the air, it makes everyone aboard the Wood mouse feel quite ill.
Yè fēng throws out his hands, he utters a spell and the next moment a strip of cloth appears in front of him. The Crystal Master takes hold of it and begins to tear off strips for everyone which he splashes with a strong smelling oils in an attempt to tone down the stench. It works a treat and everyone soon begins to feel a lot better.
Raven conducts the spell which makes the Mage’s Claw come rising out from a pile of clay, white soil, just like last night he places an extractor upon the palm and it floats over to the stricken ship and a few minutes later they all hear a soft chilling scream. When the claw returns to its master the legend sees the Extractor has turned a lovely deep blue colour which even makes his old friend start to check it.
Yè fēng moves the inner rings on the compass and says, “Now that is interesting, they seem to change colour when subjected to heat.”
“Oh, now that explains why every description of them is different,” announces the legend with a soft chuckle. “I have been trying to work that out for years. Now I know. So, it is perfectly fine?”
“Yeah, I am not detecting any instability,” replies the teacher still a little baffled by what he is seeing. “All I am detecting is the dark spell it has swallowed, or I should say gorged on, poor thing, there was a lot of curse to suck in, it’s no wonder it got really hot.”
Dusk points his hand at the stone, that is slowly returning to its normal jet-black, slightly shiny state. “So, you’re saying if I take one over there it’s not going to explode before I reach the ship?”
“What?” Raven gasps with shock, gripping his husband’s arm. “No way are you going over there, sweetie.”
The Vern holds him and explains, “Darling, there could be crucial evidence which might help us to discover how many ships have made that perilous journey.”
“I am afraid to say it, Raven, he is right,” says the teacher in a soft voice.
The hero’s hands grip the back of the man he holds dear coat, pressing the side of his face into the Vern’s bare, firm chest for a moment before he tilts his head back and whispers, “Be careful and here.” Raven places an Extractor into the palm of his lover’s hand. “Hopefully you won’t need it.”
Dusk folds his fingers over the stone and places his fist to his chest. “I rather have it with me and be safe rather than sorry. Trust me I am going to be fine.” He gives him another hug and places their foreheads together as he whispers, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” whispers Raven and the they kiss.
The Vern takes a breath before stepping away from his darling, throwing out his left hand to make a staff appear. The entire thing has been made from red wood and at the top of its twisted branches is a large stone the colour of a sunset. It turns slowly to a gold colour and a soft white glow starts to emanate from deep within.
The crew watch in amazement as a bubble starts to form in front of the Vern. A lot of them never thought a creature of fire could do something that is made of pure water, they are expecting it all to just evaporate into a cloud of steam. The crew are astonish when it slowly increases in size to stop when it reaches the size of a large beachball. A mass of swirling water, that is turning the wrong way within the sphere, seems to be emitting tiny bubbles that float to the edges making the whole thing ripple. The men are also amazed when the Vern happily climbs on it, causing the whole thing to squeak and groan the same way a balloon does when it is being compressed and it even goes from being a nice sphere, to more of an oval shape under his weight. Stunned gasps erupt when it remains floating at their head hight for a lot of them were expecting the thing to just pop or float down to the deck unable to move.
Dusk does a little bounce which makes Yè fēng worriedly cry, “Don’t do that! You’ll make it pop.”
“Calm down, old friend, I am just testing it,” responds the Vern laughing at his friend’s shear panic.
Raven on the other hand knows what his husband is like, he just shakes his head and remarks, “One day we will be hearing ow! My bottom, and then we can go told you not to do it.”
They both giggle and Dusk just narrows his eyes at them and sighs, “You two.”
They all laugh and Dusk gets the bubble to float over to the stricken ship to land on the deck. It soon becomes clear from the state of the bodies they have been drifting for some time. The flesh has been pecked from some of the faces and some no longer have eyes. The Vern makes his way to the captans cabin, which lies at the stern and the moment he opens the door a mist surrounds his head. Dusk is about to open his hand to allow the Extractor to do its job when the odd mist moves away from him to hover inheres from his face.
“What the hell?” Dusk mutters watching it. He turns his gaze to the Wood mouse to see Yè fēng is shaking his head and looking terrified. Raven’s expression changes from worried to its usual calmness and he takes it as a sign he knows something.
“Yè fēng, focus,” orders the legend, “confirm it is hovering in front of him?”
The teacher is shaking with fear and quickly replies, “Yes, it is right there… what’s it’s doing?”
“Then that means it was created by a Vern.”
“What?!” Yè fēng cries in shock turning to the hero. “How?”
“Think about it, none of you know of the race of the child who died. If it was a female Vern—”
“Oh, shit! You’re right,” answers the teacher placing a hand over his mouth. They both know in Vern society women are more valued than men as they can bear children, which is viewed as special time in a woman’s life and they are given extreme care to the extent some women are carried around in a Sedan chair for the entire length of the pregnancy.
Raven cups his hands around his mouth and calls to his husband, “It’s been created by a Vern that’s why it won’t hurt you.”
Dusk watches the mist twitch and he calls back, “I didn't know my race was into Forbidden Magic.”
“Grief can sometimes make people do the most strangest things,” remarks the captain bowing his head.
“You are not wrong there,” says Yè fēng as he takes a breath to force back his tears.
Dusk uses the Extractor to swallow the mist and says, “There’s a good stone.” He places it in his pocket before he enters the cabin to find the captain died at his desk which is covered in documents. One is an old map with a marked corse from the Sun Kissed Valley, which lies in the far south to Moonlit Cove. It tells him they have been over a month at sea to reach the deadly shore and then it would have taken them another month to get back.
He gently sits the corps back in the chair so he can check the piece of paper which was partly hidden by the body to discover it is a letter that reads: What a terrible mistake I have made, I have condemned my entire crew to death. It is all my fault. I should never have agreed to this.
Dusk turns the piece of paper over to see the back of it is blank and repeats the last line, “I should never have agreed to this, does that mean someone ordered you to do this?” He goes on to gather up the papers and in doing so knocks a crystal upon the desk which triggers a ghostly figure to appear standing on the other side of the desk. “What the fuck!” Dusk gasps when he notices it. Then breathes a sigh of relief when he realises it is a message crystal and all he needs to do is place it back in its little sand to get it to play.
The captain clearly has not had much sleep, he coughs to clear his throat and begins to say with a sleepy voice, “We are doomed. We are idiots to believe in such a lie. It is not entirely our fault, our leader called us to the gathering where we all participated in wine and fine food as a bard sang. I do not know if it was the tune or the song which was sung by an attractive man which captivated us all in to believing our true home only laid beyond the swamp. A place of bountiful riches, where we can be free.” The captain release a disappointed sigh and continues, “It is nothing other than a story, for I now remember there is nothing left of that once great fortune for it all lies under mounds of ash. The bard was good at making us see such wondrous sights which made us all crave it like a lost jewel.” He shakes his head. “So blind and I know we will never see our love ones again. If you are seeing this message, please heed my warning stay away from Moonlit Cove and keep a look out for an attractive bard, do not let him sing unless you want this to happen to you.” Tears roll down the captain’s cheeks. “Farewell.”
Dusk turns his attention back to the corpse and whispers, “I will spread your message, you have my word.” He performs a slight bow to the captain’s remains before he scoops up the paperwork and the message crystal and leaves.
The Vern is a few feet from the bubble when it pops into a shower of glittering dust making him sigh and put everything down on the deck so he can use his hands to make another one. Once he is safely back on board the Wood mouse he tells the others what he discovered and they both begin to frown.
“I know, an attractive bard doesn’t really narrow it down for we all know there are quite a few of them,” remarks Dusk a little frustrated the captain was so vague.
Raven scratches the side of his head and says, “There is something called the Lullaby Lute. However, it doesn’t exactly require a bard to play it. But if you do, you will become the greatest bard in all of Fin.”
“No way, and let me guess it was a Dark Elf who created it,” insists Dusk watching his lover shake his head and point his hand to the teacher. “Seriously a Snow Elf invented it?”
Yè fēng is a mix of puzzlement and shock which is reflected within his voice, “Surely not when us Snow Elves are such a graceful race.”
“You will be surprised what your race did during the great divide.”
“Ah, you are right, Raven, we did turn pretty dark. And the only reason it happened is because we were tired of all restriction,” responds the teacher waving his hands. “Anyway, that’s another story. So, an attractive bard is going around Valley Elves hypnotising them into believing in something that has not existed in a long time. Even that doesn’t sound polarisable.”
“Too right,” answers Dusk, “no one is going to believe us and it could be why we haven’t hard anything about it until now.”
“Well, it does give us a bit more leverage when it comes to questioning the crew of the Yulescissa,” suggests Raven and he starts to yawn.
The Vern gives him a soft shake and says, “Hey, don’t you drop to sleep on us, we cannot open a portal to the Salt Flats without you.”
One of the crew of the Wood mouse comes trotting over to offer the legend a cup tea. “There you go, sir, ye get that down ye as it should help.”
Raven pats him on shoulder to thank him and takes a sip to find it is a nice rich tea that is similar to the one his family enjoy. “Nice, thanks,” he replies with a smile and continues to drink.
A short time later he hands the cup to his husband to finish off the tea whilst he opens a portal to the Self Flats, when suddenly the once white landscape vanishes to be replaced by endless blackness and a deep booming voice comes echoing through, “ORB MASTER, WHY DO YOU KEEP OPENING DOOR TO THAT PLACE… ANWEAR!”
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