Tomb of Evandor

Sarah

The Princess was large. Sarah was used to large—usually it was small that bothered her on a long voyage. It was also in excellent condition and carrying about eighty bored, filthy sailors.

The full party, excepting Blackjack, who was directing his crew, had assembled by the hull and were watching each other and the crew on board warily.
"I assume that you all have your necessary equipment?" Sarah prompted.
There were scattered nods and grunts from the company.
"Permission to board?" Harold yelled up.
"Granted."
They started up the gangplank, one at a time. As Astrid started to make her way, a sailor spat over the side of the ship.
"That reminds me," Sarah muttered. "Astrid, a moment please!"
She took her aside. "I know that you can look after yourself, but this is just an extra precaution." A gleaming cube lay in her hand. "Keep it in your pocket. It will save you no end of trouble in a difficult situation."
Astrid gave the cube a dubious look.
"No side effects. Really."
She finally took it and pocketed it.

They cleared the gangplank quickly and caught up with the others as they were disappearing through the hatch.
"Ladies this way," a man grunted. They followed him down a narrow passageway leading to a small room with four beds, and an attached private privy.
"We're sharing?" Astrid exclaimed.
"Course you are! Tis a ship you're in, not a bloody mansion!" The man stalked away bad-temperedly. "Women never done no good on a ship."

Astrid LeBeau

"That's not what I meant. I- I could just as easily bed with my father and the men, that's all I've ever done afore," Astrid insisted but the man was already halfway up the stairs.

"Never mind that, come on," Sarah said warmly, ushering her in and closing the door behind them. As the older woman began to unpack a case, Astrid stood awkwardly in front of the door. "You could at least sit down."

Astrid shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Don't 'spose you've ever worn armour afore. It makes sitting down not very comfortable." Despite her words, she crouched and perched on the edge of one of the beds. Then she frowned. "Waste o' good beds if you ask me. There'll be some of them sailors sleeping in hammocks and here we got two spare."

Sarah stopped what she was doing and turned to face her. Astrid didn't have any experience in a situation like this. Women were a bit of a foreign entity to her, which had always made it even worse when she was judged as one. "Have you been a mercenary long?" she asked.

Astrid nodded. "Grew up on the road. But you seem to know a lot already, bet you knew that too." It was almost an accusation; Astrid wasn't very good with captains either.

The ship was loading up little by little, so Aqua decided to go on a little private fishing trip. He dove on into the sea and began to swim around, keeping his eye on a couple swordfish. He swam and caught the fish with his claws, careful not to stab them with his talons. He needed the fish alive and whole for the crew. He managed three swordfish to the crew, keeping his talons away from the fish. Upon returning to the ship, he changed from dragon to human. "I hope any of you like swordfish, since that's what I just got for the time being." He wouldn't lie, since he could only can only catch this from time to time either way.

Sarah

Sarah spread her maps on the bed and sighed. Apart from the pirate nest and sea monster breeding grounds, a rich, magical latex surrounded the entire island and defied all her efforts with the scrying glass.

"Problems?"
Septimus entered the room with the characteristic swaggering gait which he shared with all the sailors on board. Sarah, in contrast, had a marked stagger in her motions about the ship.
"This area is out of bounds to men," she muttered, but smiled as he crossed over to the bed.
"Evandor approaches." The candle flickered in the undulation of the ship.
"We have hardly been sailing a day," Sarah scoffed. "There are still many challenges ahead of us before we reach the island."
"Have you seen Astrid in action yet?" Septimus asked. "It's quite something."
"No, but I'll go up before noon and have a look. I should pay Harold and Pell a visit too."
Septimus coloured at the mention of her brother, but recovered himself quickly. "They are training belowdecks."
"Why don't you join them?" Sarah grinned. "It could be educational."
"Is this a subtle hint for me to leave?" he asked.
"Well, technically I am a ruined woman, allowing you in my bedroom alone."
"I think you've been a ruined woman for much longer than this." Septimus gave a sly smile. Sarah did not allow him to provoke her. She inked a fine line on the map.

"That is a pirate lair, you know," he said lazily. "I recommend the Resentol Channel."
"There's been a recent sighting of a leviathan in the area."
"The passage of Thue."
"Mist storms."
"Dormur's waters."
"There's a drake hatchling about."
"Then..."
"Then?" Sarah gave a small laugh. "We have no alternative. I think we'd better go see Astrid. You said she was good, didn't you? I need something I can have faith in now."

Astrid LeBeau

She'd put the target further back and was standing the other side of the ship with an arrow nocked and her bow raised.

"Little to the left," Sylas said lazily, sprawled on a bed of rope.

"You need yer eyes seein' to, old man." Astrid released the arrow and it flew true, thwacking into the bullseye.

"That's my girl. Trust your eyes and not what anyone else ses." Sylas gave a nod to the huddle of spectators and Sarah and Septimus approached. Astrid gave her father a look; sometimes she didn't know if he was being genuine or not. If it was a game or he'd made a mistake, but that was a lesson in itself. Keep people wondering.

"We might be in need of your bow soon," Sarah said as she came up alongside. The father and daughter pair came to attention at the same time, Astrid tensing into a fighting stance, but her father moved like metal going through its phases. One moment he was sprawled on the deck and the next standing, his fingers laid across his hilt with barely a show of movement in between. But he was stiffer than he used to be.

"We'll be ready," Astrid promised.

It wasn't much later that the talk among the sailors turned to food and the swordfish the brown haired fellow had caught. Astrid didn't like swordfish.