Dark Travelers Ch. 09

Author's Note: Thank you for the feedback, everyone. I agree with those who couldn't decide; I can't choose my favorite character either. Also, don't worry, there will be more sexual scenes to be had. This is turning out to be a very long story, so there will plenty of room for the smut. YAY SMUT! Kirik and Anya's time will come, as well. They are being very stubborn, though. ;)

I do find that I am concentrating more on the story-line now, rather than the erotica aspect. This is something I hadn't planned on, but I hope it's been enjoyable all the same. Keeping the plot going and trying not to leave any obvious holes, while making sure each character is behaving appropriately is difficult and time-consuming. That and caring for a baby makes these chapters come far apart; but I do apologize. I wish I could think/write a bit faster, as well.

A final note; I am aware that the content and behavior of some of the characters might not be to everyone's preference. However; this is my story, these are my characters, and I shall write whatever I wish. So there. ;)

All comments and critiques are appreciated, as usual. Gimme more, please. They are deliciousssss. :d

Luv and other things,

Ginnnnnnnnnnna!

23.

The dwarf's beady eyes gleamed. "Oh, izzat right? Whatchee mean, 'service'? I ain't a man-whore if thas yer fancy."

Horace appeared surprised, "er...no. We are in need of transport. Are you the captain of this particular ship?"

The stout man snorted in derision, "do it look like it? I ain't never heard of no cap'n tha' has ta do tha supply inventory hisself. Damned annoyin' task and usually dun falls to t'first mate, don'tcha know."

"I see. Do you suppose the captain-"

"Where ya headin'?"

The wizard blinked, "ah...to Wyvern Rock."

The dwarf scratched his beard and drew his fingers through it musingly. "Why ya need ta go there?"

Kirik stepped forward and stared down at the short being, "our reasons are our own. Will the lead of this vessel take on passengers or not?"

"Hrm. Not normally; but I reckon it's not a complete impossibility," the dwarf replied, seemingly unperturbed by the elder's blunt manner.

"Splendid!" Horace exclaimed. "So he'll hold council with strangers?"

"Ayuh, but t'cap'n ain't 'round a t'moment. Left fer the evening. We sail at dawn. Ya might wanna come back 'round then.

"Where did he go?" Kirik asked. "And what is his name?"

The dwarf cocked an eye up at the strange creature. He'd never seen anything quite like him before; and he had been to many, many places.

Scratching at his beard once more, he examined each person in turn again. His expression became rather amused when his gaze landed on Andi, clutching a very wiggly puppy. The rotond little man was becoming a bit more curious with this group with each passing minute.

He issued an abrupt, polite bow, "me name's Peggin; though mos' call me Pogs. The Cap'n is jus' called Sway. Cap'n Sway. Ye might try t'bath houses jus' down t'stretch here. Sway likes to order up a hot bath when we make port. Is only saltwater, ya know, but heated an' there be soap too. 'Course tha dun usually leave 'nuff time fer ME ta-"

Kirik cleared his throat, "what does this man look like?"

Pogs shrugged, "t'cap'n be t'only 'un with a huge, black parrot hangin' 'round. Damned bird never shuts up."

Horace tilted his head, "a black parrot?"

The dwarf nodded, "ayuh. Canna remember t'exact type. Has red cheeks and a big crest on its head." Pogs fluttered the fingers of one hand on top of his head, vaguely miming feathers.

The wizard arched a brow at the description, "those birds are remarkably rare. I wonder where he managed to-"

"To hells with the bird, old man. We must find this ...Sway... and convince him to take us aboard."

Pogs held up a finger, "some advice. Be polite."

Kirik narrowed his eyes and nodded. "I can do that."

The sorcerer appeared flabbergasted, "can you? Really? This I must see."

"I am tiring of your taunts, old man."

Kael cleared his throat and twirled his finger, tapping his foot impatiently. "What is going on, brother? Shall we sail on this one or not?"

"We must find the lead and make a formal request. Apparently he is the only one who decides who may or may not board his craft."

"Makes sense enough. Where is he?"

"The short one said he may be in one of the bath houses and that they'll likely not set sail until sunrise," Kirik replied, glancing back to where the dwarf had pointed.

"This place has a bath-house? You wouldn't know it by looking," the juvenile replied, peering around with thinly veiled disgust.

Horace observed their conversation with a thoughtful expression before returning his attention to Peggins. "Do you have any idea when he might return to the ship? I hardly think it would be in our favor to go barging in on him whilst in the middle of bathing."

Pogs shrugged and went back to squinting at his list, "t'Cap'n will be back by dawn. Tis all I was told. Ya might have a look 'round town for a bit. Ya got 'til tomorrow. Now piss off! I got work t'finish." He flapped his hand at Horace and grimaced.

"One last question; are there any other crews that you know about who may be planning to sail a bit earlier than yourselves? Perhaps tonight?"

Pogs glanced around at the nearly deserted docks before issuing a sighing grunt, "nah. T'early snow put a damper on t'fishin' and tourists. Been a meager season as of yet; we're yer bes' bet - if yer even allowed on, that is. Now get!"

The wizard blinked again and began to saunter away, "right then!" He turned to the Feylak brothers, "seems we're stuck here until dawn. If I may make a suggestion?"

Kirik followed and nodded, features grim and distracted. He was not looking forward to lingering here.

"Perhaps a good scrubbing in hot water may be appreciated by all. Come now, Feylak. We cannot go anywhere presently, might as well allow ourselves a bit of much needed rest?"

Kael tilted his head at the strange little man, "what is he saying?"

"He is telling me that we need to bathe and rest."

"I am neither tired, nor dirty."

"Nor am I, youngling."

Anya and Andi watched all the back-and-forth silently. Each wondered if they would indeed be granted access to the ship. And, if so, how long would the voyage take? Would the crew members be kind?

Anya tried to remain hopeful. Being in the presence of others was a comforting thought; especially considering the company that they'd been sharing for the last few days. She glanced back at the dwarf's face; he'd seemed brusque but not unkind.

Peggins noticed and tipped his head to her, " evenin' lass."

She raised her brows a bit, surprised at the polite farewell. Remembering her manners, she offered him a prim, little courtsey in return. "Good-night, sir."

Pogs' entire demeanor softened considerably. It'd been awhile since he'd been referred to as 'sir'. The dwarf suddenly hoped that Sway would allow the strange group to board ship. It had also been quite some time that he'd been around a polite, sweet-natured lady.

He watched as the dark-haired woman gave him a tentative smile, and then began to busy herself with fastening her hair back into a thick, tidy braid.

Andi, on the other hand, sincerely doubted it; taking into account how they'd been welcomed initially by the harbor's locals. Still though, she couldn't help but admit that the thought of a proper bath in an actual tub sounded heavenly. Anxiously, she glanced at Kirik; rather hoping that he'd agree.

Kael noticed the girl's hopeful look. The juvenile watched her furtively for a moment before turning back to his elder, "maybe we should, though."

Kirik appeared surprised, "oh?"

Kael shrugged and affected casual indifference, "well, we're not going anywhere right now. I actually wouldn't mind a soak. Come on, big brother, what could it harm?" He tossed Kirik a charming grin and raised his eyebrows up and down several times.

The elder stared dourly at his sibling for a moment; then hefted a sigh. "Fine. But I think it would be best if we split up to search for this Sway. I'd prefer it if we were able to speak with him before sunrise, and we'll cover more ground that way."

The youngster appeared dubious, "do you suppose it's a good idea to go our separate ways in this place?"

Kirik shrugged, "it will be excellent practice for you, boy. You must learn to lead on your own."

"Who am I searching for? What does he look like?"

"The dwarf did not offer a description; only mentioned a large, noisy, black bird that apparently accompanies him. I'm assuming it's a pet, rather like that creature," Kirik gestured towards the puppy.

Kael nodded and peered back from where they'd come from, "and if we do not find him this evening?"

The elder thought for a moment, "we shall all meet back here just before sun up. The dwarf said Sway will return to his vessel then."

"And if I do find him?"

Kirik glowered at his sibling, becoming impatient to get moving, "then don't fuck up our chances."

Kael arched a brow, surprised at his brother's language, "you have no faith in me, do you."

"None."

The juvenile sulked for a moment before shrugging it off. "Don't worry. I wouldn't be able to speak with him anyhow, remember?"

Kirik appeared stricken for a moment. He'd forgotten that particular detail. The elder brother was silent for several minutes before turning to regard Horace, "you seem to be familiar with speaking with these sort of...people."

The sorcerer inclined his head, "indeed."

"If we find Sway, can I trust you to be the spokesperson on my behalf?"

Horace grinned cheekily, "you can trust nearly anything, really."

Kirik's upper lip curled, displeased by the sorcerer's ambiguity, "my patience is virtually nil at the moment, old man. Can I trust you, or not?"

The wizard's expression was crestfallen, "you've no sense of humor at ALL." A sigh, "yes, yes, yes. I will speak for you."

"Good. And know this; if it turns out I regret this decision, I will make sure that you shall regret it as well. Have we an accord?"

Horace touched three fingers to his chest and nodded, "esteemed leader; you've my word that I speak true."

Kirik arched a brow at this, surprised at the gesture of sincerity. After a moment, he nodded back, "so it will be, then." He pulled the ring off of his finger and tossed it to Kael.

The youngster widened his eyes and caught it, a grin spreading across his mouth. "You're letting me borrow this?! Excellent!"

The older brother's mouth thinned, "You will need it if you find the captain." Kirik hesitated momentarily, then continued, "...if you lose it, I shall be most displeased."

"Oh, I've no doubt about that. Don't worry, big brother, I'll be extra careful," he replied, sliding the ring onto his own finger.

Anya glanced at the wizard, a weight settling in her chest. "What do you mean? What's going on? Why would you need to speak for him?"

The wizard shrugged, "I assume we're splitting up to search."

Kael stood there, amazed, as he listened to the two humans speak.

At first, the words were just as indecipherable as they'd been to him thus far. After a moment, however, he felt something seem to almost settle and click deep inside his head. With a start, he found that he'd understood the last couple of words that the wizard had spoken.

Andi clutched Anya, "I'm going with you, right?"

The juvenile snickered at her query and snatched her arm, "no."

The girl stared at him, startled, not quite believing what she'd just heard. "I... You... What?!"

"No," he repeated, beginning to pull her away from Anya.

"No!" She cried, latching onto Andi's other arm and tugging.

The puppy fell from the girl's grasp, landing with a thud and an accusatory whine. He began to scamper about; nervously jumping up on Kael, then Andi, and back onto Kael again.

Andi, paying the small dog no mind, appeared distraught and began trying to pull out of his grasp. "No! I don't want to!"

"Kael," Kirik began quietly.

The youngling glanced at his brother, brows raised. "Hm?"

"Assure the witch that you will not harm her kin."

"Why?"

Kirik placed a hand on his forehead, frustrated, "because if you do not, it will be rather difficult to separate them."

This said, Kael turned to consider the elder sister. Finally, the youngling shrugged and offered Anya the most friendly grin he had in his repertoire. Unfortunately, the effect was somewhat dampened by the presence of his wickedly sharp sets of teeth. Anya paled slightly and tightened her grip on Andi's arm.

"Woman..." he began haltingly, the unfamiliar language taking a bit more time to arrange itself in his head.

Anya felt a prickle of indignation, "you're going to refer to me as 'woman' as well? Really?"

Kael ignored this, "I won't hurt her." He gave Andi a shake to indicate that it was she he was speaking about.

Andi stared up at him, doubt written on her features. He had, in fact, already harmed her. Hadn't he.

Anya's expression mirrored her sister's. "I don't believe you." She refused to release Andi.

The juvenile hefted a sigh and glanced at his sibling for help. Kirik merely stared back, features almost amused. No assistance there.

Kael grumbled under his breath and tried again, "we're to search for the lead and meet back here at dawn. All of us." He paused, "you have my word."

"How do I know you'll keep your word?"

He appeared offended, "I do not go back on my oaths."

Andi shook her head and tried to wrench her arm out of his grasp again, "I don't want to go with you! I hate you!"

At this, a fleeting expression of hurt flashed across the youngster's face. However, as quickly as it had surfaced, it was expertly masked. "I don't care. You're coming with me."

Taters began to issue a whining bark, understanding his Girl was very unhappy with his new friend.

Why would she be unhappy with him? The man-thing smelled very strongly of her and she of him. Didn't that mean that they should like each other? Only good-friends would smell of each other. Just as the woman and his Girl smelled like one another. Weren't his Girl and the man-thing good-friends?

Not knowing what to do, he lay down between the two of them, panting and shaking.

Anya felt a surge of anger bubble up from the pit of her stomach. She took several deliberate steps towards Kael and stared directly up at him. The youngster gazed back down at her, wondering what she wanted now.

"You tell him, " she began in a low hiss, pointing at Kirik, "that if you harm my sister in any way before we meet up again, I shall see to it that your quest fails."

"Oh? And how would you do that?"

"You need me alive in order to succeed, correct? If she gets harmed, " Anya pointed at Andi this time, "I will make certain that you two will have to start from the beginning, and I doubt you've the time for that. He has mentioned before that your time here is running out."

"Anya!" Andi gasped, shocked.

"Hush!" Anya snapped fiercely, eyes never wavering from Kael's. "Tell him!" She demanded.

The juvenile stood there for a moment, torn, then began to speak to his elder. Kirik's eyes flared brightly when Kael finished, then replied to the youngster in a quick, clipped tone.

The younger brother glowered at his sibling. Kirik merely glared back, and snapped something out at him.

"He said to tell you that he understands. But, " Kael held up a finger, "if you do so, he will take his wrath out on her." The youngling jerked a thumb towards Andi. "And I won't be able to stop him. You think about that before you try anything idiotic, witch."

Anya!" Andi cried again, horrified.

The elder sister turned her heated glare onto Kirik. He met her glower head-on, neither one willing to drop their gaze.

"Dear me," Horace began fretfully, placing himself in between the two older siblings. "Really now, I don't believe you need to overly worry. I daresay that if he'd wanted to maim or kill your sister, he'd have done it by now. Don't you think?"

"Be that as it may, I still need assurance. He knows my stakes, and I stand by them," she replied, her eyes still locked onto Kirik's.

"I see," the wizard said quietly. "It'd be a shame, you know. This is getting so very exciting."

Andi hung her head, "I'll go, Anya. It'll be alright. Please don't-"

"Enough," Kael interrupted. "We'll meet back here at dawn." He began to pull Andi away. Taters rose and scampered after the two of them.

"Bye Anya. I'll see you soon," she called out, unhappily. Tears began to slide down her cheeks.

"At sunrise, Sweet. I'll be waiting," she replied, finally dropping her gaze. Her eyes began filling with tears of her own.

24.

Kael pulled the girl along. He didn't know exactly where he was going, but he figured that getting a move on was preferable to standing idle.

The juvenile was rather proud to be trusted to go off on his own. Even more so that he'd also been entrusted with the care of one of his brother's most valued possessions.

He glanced down at the object in question; Kirik's ring gleamed brightly on his finger. His elder had had it for as long as he could remember. In fact, it was the only one of its kind in the entire Great Glacier.

Pausing to glance about, he idly wondered where his brother had acquired it. The elder had never offered to share that particular story. Made sense, though, that Kirik be the bearer of such a thing; he made excellent use of it while an interrogation was in progress. Quite a handy little item indeed.

"Brat," he began, still peering around doubtfully.

Andi said nothing.

Brat!" He said again, sounding angry.

Andi still didn't respond.

"Answer me when I address you, " he snapped, giving her another brisk shake.

"That isn't my name, " she muttered, staring at her feet.

Frustration stabbed at him; unable to understand why she was inclined to be so obstinate. He chose to ignore it, however. For the time being. "Have you ever been here?"

"No."

"Damn," he growled, rubbing a hand over his face. "And we've such a specific description to go on, as well," he continued sarcastically. "We're to look for a large black bird. A bird. You know, he does this to me on purpose. Deliberately makes things much more difficult than they have to be," he grumbled, disgusted.

Andi tilted her head, a bit taken aback at the obvious annoyance in his tone. For a moment, it almost made him sound human.

Surprised at this, she timidly ventured a suggestion. "Pogs said the captain was bathing. Maybe we should ask someone where the bath houses are."

He stared down at her, "what in the hell is a 'Pogs'?"

"Uhm...he's the dwarf the wizard and your brother just got done talking to. He said his name was Pogs."

"What a terrible name. I almost feel badly for him," Kael replied, shaking his head in sympathy.

"Er...I guess so." Andi continued to stare at him, still amazed that she was able to understand him so suddenly and completely.

"So ask someone, you say? Right then."

He glanced around briefly, a frown creasing his brow. There weren't many people milling about, being a bit late in the evening, but there were a few stragglers still wandering here and there.

"You there! Drunkard!" Kael shouted, waving his hand to catch the attention of a oldish gentleman stumbling along nearby.

The man didn't respond right away, only staggered slightly and let out a belch. Finally, he turned his head slowly and peered at the trio suspiciously, with one eye squinted shut.

"...you ah -urp- talkin' to ..ah.. me?"

"Yes, you. Tell me where the bathing houses are," Kael responded in a haughty, commanding tone.

The man issued another hiccuping burp and tilted his head in concentration. "Bathing houses?" He finally managed to repeat. "Oh dear. Do I smell that bad?" He questioned, sniffing at his armpit.