Chapter 1: Fortune Favors the Bold
Redwater Isle, The Jetsam Gallery, Library
20th day of Amber's Fall, Just before Midnight
Arabella lifted her lantern a bit higher to look at the bookshelf she was examining, squinting to read the faded gold lettering in the wobbling light. On the other side of the room, her companion sat on the windowsill, one leg propped up and the other hanging into the room, reading the book on her knee in the silvery moonlight. They could have lit more candles, but added illumination increased the chances that they'd be discovered - you see, the pair weren't supposed to be in this Library, in this manor, or even on this island.
This was a fairly unique robbery, but a robbery nonetheless.
She paused as her gaze fell upon a very dusty and abused book. "The Dying of the Light?" She asked, softly. "That sounds like it could be related to what you're looking for."
Rayle "The Charmed" Bancross snorted derisively. "You're in the fiction section. And that story is terrible."
"You've read it?"
"Only the first five pages." Rayle shut the book she had purloined, replacing it on the desk that now bore her boot-print. "Let's try the stacks..." The treasure hunter began working her way through the books piled on the table, only to find these organized as well. "Alphabetized? The stacks? Who cares for this place and how boring are they?"
"Some people like being organized, Rayle." Arabella said, brightly.
A soft but intense hiss came from the pile. Only the adventurer's legs were visible now. "Lies! Damn lies! Only pursers and hermit crabs have this kind of time."
"And actual hermits," the musician added. "Didn't you say the manor was abandoned?"
"Yep." Rayle finally emerged, dusty but triumphant. "Got it. Beset by Legends - a book so old other books only mention it in passing." She opened it, and then slapped a hand to her face. "Of course. Three weeks of planning, and I never once remembered..."
"...that you can't read Old Sylish?"
"I can't read Old Sylish." Rayle agreed. "Well, time for the backup plan." She found the symbol for Amatu and tore out each page in the chapter, carefully. Then she replaced the book where she'd found it. "Now, find something amusing to steal."
"Why?" Arabella picked up a golden chalice from where it served as a centerpiece, and followed Rayle out into the hall and down the stairs.
As they walked, Rayle continued to explain. "Two reasons. The first is that if we do get caught, they'll take that back and not bother looking for the pages. The second..." At this point they opened the doors into the grand ballroom, and both would later remember it as the exact moment that their evening went to hell.
***
"...and authentic, naturally. It's quite rare to see elven crafts like these so far from their homeland." Amon Din said with a wink, treasures piled around him in the ballroom. A middle-aged elf slowly going to fat, Amon knew his business and knew it well - so well, in fact, that he had caught the eye of none other than the infamous Ramsey Blake some years ago, and had been taking good care of the Wraith's crew - and himself, of course - ever since.
"That's fantastic. However did Blake come by these?" The nobleman leaned forward to examine it. He and a number of others - all of them named "Baron This" or "Lady That" and most likely not actual old world nobility - had been informed that they'd been carefully selected for a private auction of part of the notorious Captain Blake's seemly inexhaustible supply of rare goods. They had not been informed that the reason they'd been selected was because they matched the most important criteria for finding buyers - rich, greedy, unscrupulous, and not nearly as clever as they believed themselves to be.
"All of it was found, of course, tragically cast away - hence the name 'The Jetsam Gallery,'" Amon supplied with a wink. The smarter members of the group - a dismally small number, by his reckoning - winked back. Well, that was part of the Business too.
And that was when the doors opened, admitting two women. A quick look revealed that they were not only not on the guest list, but also far too shabbily dressed to have even been considered for it. A second look revealed that they were carrying a large golden chalice that clearly hadn't entered the manor with them. "Do I even need to ask what you're doing here?"
Rayle and Arabella looked at each other, then back at the elf. "We're your scheduled entertainment, of course." Rayle pulled a pair of daggers from her belt and started juggling them, along with the chalice. Arabella took a deep breath and began to sing a fast-paced ditty.
"There once was a lass, as pretty as can be,
the boys all loved her to bits.
She grew up well, and to no one's surprise,
started showing off her-" *
"Enough." Amon rolled his eyes. "Guards!"
"Whoop, time to go." The pair dashed back out and up the stairs, their shouts echoing back down.
"Why did you tell him that? That never works!" Arabella huffed.
Rayle gestured non-specifically. "I don't know, I panicked! Are you up for a trip?"
"I-" They were interrupted by the door in front of the next set of stairs opening. Out stepped four men and two women, all of them looking the part of shorebound pirates - bored and looking for trouble. However, it was their leader that made the biggest impression. Eight feet tall, hairy, and horned, the massive minotaur stood in their way like a wall of muscle. With neither threat nor comment, he charged and all hell broke loose.
It would have been over as soon as the minotaur reached them, but everyone was hiding a few surprises that night. Upon reaching the women, Rayle faded back, and Arabella grabbed the hefty leg as the creature shot by, yanking him off his feet with a strength that her frame should never have granted her. She swung quickly, planting the creature's horns in the wall.
For her part, Rayle flicked her left wrist, and a thin silver strand shot out, which whipped by one of the pirates and left him on the floor, sparking and twitching. She had just enough time to draw her own sword before everyone collided.
As they fought, she could see in flashes and starts what their next moves would be. How to dodge, how to act... but with five standing opponents, and with Arabella struggling to keep the minotaur pinned, it was only a matter of time.
Arabella's advice didn't help, either. "Rayle! Your left!"
The treasure hunter whipped around, getting punched in the back of the head for her trouble.
"Sorry, my left!"
"Stop helping me!" Rayle managed to down another one with the cord. She'd paid for Aethersprite in blood, but at times like these it was all worth it. Another pirate was disarmed after that, a second one knocked out, and Arabella abandoned the minotaur to clock the last pirate over the head with the now-forgotten gold chalice.
The minotaur took the sudden loss of leverage as an opportunity, pulling free and pursuing the women up the final flight of stairs, out to the grand balcony on the third floor.
What he said, however, surprised them. "Please hold a moment, ladies. I'll ask you to surrender, and keep this evening pleasant."
"Who the hell are you?" Rayle didn't mean to say it - it just slipped out.
The minotaur, however, grinned. "I am Khallra, the Wraith's bosun. Your surrender...?"
"A bison bosun? Catchy."
"A bovine bison bosun boatsman!" Arabella added, cheerfully.
"That's quite enough." Amon had arrived, with reinforcements - rather a lot of them. "You've given us a good run, but you're cornered - and you're in deep, deep trouble. Do you know who you're stealing from?"
Rayle let out a slightly hysterical chuckle. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Then you know how suicidal this is. Captain Blake isn't someone you want as an enemy." The elf said, still huffing. "Wait a moment... I recognize you now! You're Rayle Bancross!" He snickered. "Well, I must say, this is a surprise. I thought you only stole from dead people."
"Don't tempt me." The explorer muttered.
"Funny. So, you showed up, you stole and juggled... what is that, a cup? And now you're up here on the roof with your singing companion, telling jokes." The elf's grin grew wider. "Is this some kind of circus tryout?"
"Sure, why not?" Rayle knew better than to try to tell him why she was really here. "And you're going to love the animal act."
With that, Arabella toppled over the railing, and Rayle jumped after her as the pirates rushed in. A moment later, they reversed direction and rushed back as an incredible creature rose into view. At nearly thirty feet long, nose to tail, and just as far across in wingspan, the blood-red, scaly, hovering creature was clearly a dragon. And balanced on its back...
"I'm afraid the circus is only in town for one night. But have fun explaining this to Captain Blake!" Rayle shouted, as the pair ascended.
Irritated, the elf pulled out his flintlock and fired, but as with everything else tonight, the shot went awry.
***
Hours later, Rayle had taken a less precarious position, straddling Arabella's back in order to maintain balance while acting as a spotter.
And of course, their argument continued.
"It was an empty manor, you said!"
"I said I thought it would be empty! My information was out of date!"
"Out of date? How could your vision of the future be out of date?"
"It wasn't a vision! I looked it up." Rayle dug out a much-abused copy of Majiran's Guide, dated to some time twelve years ago. "It's probably time I got an updated edition..."
"Where are we going, anyway?"
The treasure hunter peered out over the Crossroad Isles, looking for the trademark X that marked the spot she was looking for - it was useful that the four lagoons of Wayfarer's Point made it easy to see from the air. On a clear night with a full moon like this one, it was no trouble at all. "There." She pointed. "Actually, take us northwest. We're going to need Lucien's library to decipher that old Sylish."
"I figured you'd want to see Jonathan or Non first. What are you going to pay him with? A favor? You know he'd let you."
The adventurer crossed her arms. "Ha! No. You can either pay in money and get gouged, or you can pay with a favor and get screwed. I'd prefer not to match wits with him with a fancy custom bargain, thank you very much. We can see Jon and Non tomorrow."
"So what are you going to pay him with?"
"This!" Rayle pulled the purloined cup out of the bag. "Reason number two to steal something valuable - because hell if I'm going to pay his ridiculous fee with my own money."
"You really did think this through." Arabella tried hard not to physically emote while Rayle was riding her, but she did manage a scaly smile. "Not bad for a crazy woman."
"I'm not crazy!"
"That's what I'd expect a crazy woman to say!"
Rayle's response caught in her throat as she saw the number of ships in the harbor. "Good grief, there's a lot of traffic this time of year. I see the Firebrand, the Pluderer's Folly, and a bunch of other nice hulls. Seems everyone's in town."
"So we're in for an interesting time, then."
Rayle closed her eyes. "Mmm. But not nearly as interesting as what happens if we screw this up. These stakes are a lot higher than I'm used to."
"Well, no pain, no gain. Let the games begin!" The dragon folded her wings and dove at the castle...
*
SpoilerWits. The last word is wits. Get your minds out of the gutter!