Whatever they were loading, it was thankfully light. Even Brot could carry a box or two at a time.
“Fancy boxes,” Sally said to the captain. “Real curious what’s inside.”
The captain ignored her.
As Toshie expected, Navarin was ‘supervising’ the four of them.
“She’s burning up any goodwill she earned,” Sally said as she pced the st box on board.
“The woman can kill us at any moment,” Yrlith said. “Not exactly banced in our favor. Also, we’re going in the exact opposite direction of where we intended.”
“It was a nice little trip?” Toshie said as they boarded the ship. “But poor Biscuit told the King and Queen that you’re dead, Sally. I hope he won’t be punished.”
“He might already have been,” said Sally with a sigh. “Dragging back a headless Wizard and carrying my heirloom wouldn’t be the best way to greet them. Then again, they could have been feeling generous?”
“Do you believe that?” asked Toshie.
“No. But the With Cheese family has long served mine. So, all we can do is hope. And they might be so excited to have their daughter back that it won’t matter.”
“Do you believe that?” Toshie asked again, skeptical.
“Ha. No. Sure, they’re going to have a feast and throw a parade. Ugh, my father loves a parade. But when it’s all done, I’ll be shooed into my room, asked to wait for some old fart to marry me. This has been so much more enjoyable.”
“Even when the spider almost killed you?” asked Brot.
“Okay, that was less than great, but it beats learning how to sew,” Sally said as they walked down the deck below to their assigned room. It was simir to the ship they had taken from Stonegate. Only there were actual rooms for servants instead of one open space. Several hammocks were stretched across the room. Toshie felt nauseous at the idea of rocking back and forth on one.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” she said. “Anyone see a bucket?”
“Oh, did you forget I can help?” Brot said, pcing a hand on Toshie’s stomach. A warm wave of energy spread through her body. “That should do,” Brot said, climbing into a low-hanging hammock. “I am sorry, but the day with Master Navarin has me plumb tuckered out. I think I shall take a nap.” He y down, pulled out his trinket, held it to his chest, and was snoring within seconds.
“Poor little guy,” whispered Toshie. “He’s worked hard for us and never asked for anything in return.”
“Yeah, I’m gd I didn’t eat him.” Yrlith ughed. “Not much meat on him, anyway.”
“Did you eat those Dwarven soldiers?” Toshie was curious after her chat with Yrlith.
“Nah, we paid off most of them. Only ended up accidentally killing one, I think?” Sally said as she climbed into a hammock. “Aw, Yrlith, darling, I don’t know if this can support both of us. Can you sleep somewhere other than next to your Dear Princess?”
Yrlith rolled her eyes. She went over to give Sally’s hammock a shove but noticed Sally was already deep asleep.
“Huh,” she poked Sally. “Didn’t think she was so tired. Toshie, how are you—”
She turned around to see Toshie asleep with her face in a bucket.
“Feeling...” A chill crawled down Yrlith’s back. There was a knock at the door.
“Open up, Shapeshifter,” came a familiar, cold voice.
“This can’t be good,” Yrlith mumbled as she opened the door. Of course, it was Navarin.
“Did you do this?” Yrlith pointed to her sleeping companions.
“You’re quick,” Navarin said. “Come with me. We have to talk.”
“We can’t talk here?”
“You know we can’t.”
“Do I?” Yrlith was confused as to why Navarin would need anything of her.
“I know you want your Princess to live. Come.”
She followed Navarin up to her room. The lodging she had gotten was much more impressive than Yrlith expected. She had no idea how a trade ship had room for such extravagance. Navarin pointed to a chair sitting at a table, and Yrlith sat down.
“Tea?” Navarin asked as she poured herself a cup.
“I’m good, thanks.” Yrlith was too nervous to drink. What could Navarin want from her?
“You’re surprised I brought you here. Why? Is it not obvious?”
“You are not good at being obvious, Navarin.”
“Hm, I thought it was fairly clear. You are a Shapeshifter, no?”
“I can change my form for a while, yes.”
“And you can change others?”
“For not as long, but yes, I can project illusions. Why?”
“Show me. Make yourself look like your Dwarven Princess.”
Yrlith hesitated, but remembered the band on her ankle. She focused and turned herself into Sally.
“Speak,” commanded Navarin.
“You’re wondering if my voice changes,” Yrlith said.
“Sounds like it does.” Navarin seemed pleased.
“Still need me to look like Sally?”
“No,” Navarin said and took a long sip of tea. “This will work well.”
“What will?” Yrlith was back to her original self. “I know you can kill me at any moment, but I still want to know why you’d have me impersonate Sally.”
“All in good time.” Navarin finished her tea.
Yrlith transformed herself into Navarin. “I’m not sure sassy clichés are your best choice.”
“So this is the game you want to py?”
“I want to know what your pn is.”
“I fail to see why that’s necessary. ... Also, I do not believe that is my voice.”
“It sure is.”
“You’re mocking me, hoping that will lead me to tell you my pn.”
“I’m mocking you because you’re pissing me off.”
Navarin poured herself another cup of tea.
“You know I can kill you.”
“I do,” Yrlith said, once again in her original form. “And so what? Sally won’t help you if you do. Toshie won’t help you. What’s your pn? You’re going to guilt Brot into helping you? A Goblin and a Dark Elf walk into the Dwarven kingdom and demand their secret treasure?”
Navarin sipped her tea.
“You don’t think Sally will help you. So you want me to shapeshift into her, which you think I’ll do because you’ll threaten her life.”
“Am I wrong?”
“I wanted to see if I could figure you out. Seems like I can.”
“Are we going to have any problems?”
“Why does your mother want these Orbs, anyway?”
“What does that matter?”
Yrlith stared into Navarin’s eyes. They looked like Sally’s, only colder.
“You don’t know why she wants them,” Yrlith said, confident she had figured out why Navarin had been acting the way she had.
Navarin said nothing but finished her second cup.
“What my mother wants is irrelevant to you.”
“But what you want is her approval.”
“What I want is also irrelevant to you.”
“We’re not making much progress here, are we?”
“I have everything I need from you,” Navarin said as she poured her third cup.
“Seems like our talk is over,” Yrlith said, still staring at Navarin.
“You can leave if you wish.” Navarin took another sip.
“What did you do to them?” Yrlith asked as she stood.
“A simple sleeping spell. There will be no ill effects. If you ever have trouble sleeping, I can always help.”
“How kind,” Yrlith said as she turned to leave.
“I look forward to working with you,” Navarin said, pouring her fourth cup.
Yrlith said nothing as she left the room.
Yrlith was not surprised to see the three deep asleep when she returned to their quarters. Brot was snoring peacefully. Poor Toshie still had her face in the bucket, so Yrlith moved her to a more comfortable position. Finally, Yrlith went to check on Sally. There was her Princess, beautiful as ever. Yrlith stroked away the strands of strawberry-blonde hair stuck to Sally’s face. Sally wrestled around for a second, let out a fart, and resumed her sleep. Yrlith ughed. This was the Sally she knew. Yes, Sally liked to tease her—especially in front of others. And Yrlith was too used to being teased to do much other than take it. But she didn’t mind. There was love in the way Sally teased. And the way she looked at her. No one had ever looked at Yrlith the way Sally did. Not her father, not her grandparents. Sally was the only one who could make her feel that way, even with the teasing.
Yrlith coughed at the smell. “Too many pickles, Sally,” she ughed and kissed her sleeping Princess. Yrlith climbed into the st empty hammock and stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
‘Why is Navarin so annoying?’ she thought as she stared at the ceiling. ‘I guess we all have mother issues. I get that. Those eyes, though. Those damn blue eyes.’ Before she knew it, Yrlith, too, was sound asleep.
