The Calamity by Robert McConvey
Book 2 of the Clanlands Saga
Sample Chapter
Book 2 of the Clanlands Saga
Sample Chapter
Aluna fled south after her exile, an eye constantly cast over her shoulder in fear of pursuit. Every fibre of her being pulled her northwards, towards her home in Owlhold but Raken Hunting Falcon was not known for his mercy or for letting his prey escape, so south is where she ran.
“You’ve taken everything from me Raken, yet the skies are not yours alone. The Owl is patient. Your own hubris shall one day destroy you! Mark my words!” She hissed to herself between laboured breaths, anger fuelling her flight over the rolling Falcon plains under the pitiless light of the moon.
She stopped briefly, listening carefully for any signs of pursuit or of danger ahead. After a few moments of stillness, she sniffed in satisfaction and hefted her pack back onto her shoulder. She had only enough time to grab some of her more rare tomes and basic travel essentials before being ousted from her suite in Falconhold. She lamented the wealth of knowledge left behind in the nest of that power mad maniac. Bound for the flames, she bet, another treasure the Falcons had taken from her. They took her daughter, left her to die on the birthing bed. They took her grandson, sent him off to his death in a foolish raid and now she had been forced to abandon her carefully curated library. The books could be re-written of course, the knowledge passed on to another. Yet nothing could replace her beautiful Almira or Aldyn. The Hunting Falcon had gone too far.
“You won’t have my life!” Determined defiance burned into each word.
It troubled her that he had simply exiled her instead of just killing her then and there. Perhaps killing a Lore Steward was a step too far even for him. No. He had shown his true plumage. Always manipulating events to keep the blood off his own talons. Killing a wife or a son would bring the wrath of the ancestors upon a hold and the murder of a Lore Steward would cause an open clan war. However simply allowing them to die, kept his hands clean and position secure. An old woman set upon on the road would not raise any notice. Was that it then, Raken? Well this wasn’t Aluna’s first hunt. He would expect her to fly home in a panic. Let them lie in wait. She would be long gone before they noticed she wasn’t heading north. If she knew the sort Raken normally dealt with, they would simply say the job was done rather than risk the Falcon’s ire. Either way, he would think her dealt with and move on. However, Aluna would never forget. She would return one day, she swore it. But for now she needed to retreat.
The Otters were always seeking Lore Stewards to join them on their ships for tales to ease the journey on long voyages. Some time at sea could be exactly what she needed to gather her wits and plan for her next move. She would clip that stuffed pigeons wings if it was the last thing she did. Her creed as a Lore Steward of spreading hope to lift the darkness seemed so hollow in the presence of such malice.
She had stood at her window, watching as a seven year old boy was sent out on a pointless raid to die. A boy, who had loved nothing more than to listen to her stories of heroes, would be denied the chance to live long enough to become one. He had such a bright future, little Aldyn. Cast aside the minute a new egg hatched. Aluna wept for her family, grief bringing her to her knees on the roadside. She wailed alone, the moon glowing brightly over head.
Dawn brought a new day and a new motivation. Her night spent mourning for what was, had crystallised her sorrow into something different.
Vengeance.
Aluna would destroy the Falcons but she needed to plan, to prepare and there was nowhere safer than her original destination. The Otters had little dealings with the northern Clans and word of another Lore Steward boarding a vessel would go unnoticed. With a burning resolve in her heart, Aluna hoisted her meager bundle of possessions and strode on towards Ottershold.
The weather was kind and she made good time arriving in the town of Songward just as the sun was setting on her third day of exile. Songward was a small town that lay on the border of both the Salmon and Otter lands along the Spirit River. The sea faring traders often came up river here to trade their wares. Especially those who didn’t want questions asked about where the goods originally came from.
Aluna thought for a moment, reconsidering the need to continue on to the clan hold when she might be able to secure passage here. She sought out a tavern along the waterfront in the hopes of finding an amiable captain who would be heading out to sea in the near future. Seeing a sign for ‘The Tipped Scales,’ Aluna headed in. Her sturdy boots crunched on the sawdust underfoot but it went unheard as the cacophony of trade, bragging and attempted music drowned everything else out.
“Imma telling ya, it was as big as a man”
“Fought them off single handedly, I did!”
“That’s worth twice that!”
“You, my miserly cohort, are thinking you have bested Simon this time, no?”
“Ohhhh I remember, dancing round the ember, with a bonny young lass named Donna...”
Aluna took it all in with a quick glance. This was the place all right. A pleasantly plump innkeep was busy filling tankards behind the bar. A group of sailors sang heartily with an accordion player in one corner, each taking a verse to sing about some young girl they had waiting back home. The other side of the bar was dedicated to various contests like darts, arm wrestling and the sport of choice for most who sailed the seas, boasting. Each braggart took a turn to tell a tale, even more ludicrous than the one before it. The fable grew and grew until one of them broke into incredulous laughter.
Any other time, Aluna would have added her own tales to theirs but today she was here for a different reason. Although her heart loved the spinning of a grand yarn, she needed a ship and she needed it soon. She cast her eyes over to the tables that dotted the main floor, occupied by a number of arguing souls locked in various negotiations. The loud bellows of trade in progress accompanied by the clinking of coin drew her like a moth to a flame.
Anyone selling their wares in a place like this would be wanting to leave town as fast as possible to put distance between themselves and what had just been sold. She ordered herself a tankard of ale to hold and drifted around the sitting area, lingering close enough to overhear some of the ongoing conversations. The first seller she dropped her eaves on had obviously shown their hand too early and was now desperately pleading for a better price but the buyer was standing firm, sensing a victory. That wasn’t a good option, desperate people tended to do desperate things. Too risky to throw her fate in with.
She meandered to the next table, easily the loudest of all the negotiations but also one of the more jovial, at first glance. An old man in a floppy hat and an ear that had more rings than most hands, sat arguing with a dashing young sailor sporting an oiled, curled mustache.
“Aye boyo, fifty gold for the biggest jewel to ever see this shore, done and sealed. I’d say I’ve got the better of ye this time Swiftsail. It be a grand lesson for ye laddy. Does the man good to lose every so often. Keeps yer feet firmly on deck.”
“Ah but the price paid is not just with the gold, my jingle jangle elder. The tale of its deliverance are already spreading far and wide. The Swiftsail will be the talk of the sea, even Lady Ocean shall swoon for her hero, no?”
A dark, suspicious shadow fell over the face of the man standing at the old sailor’s side. He leaned in slyly towards his companion but did nothing to lower his voice. “He calling you a snitch, Cap’n! He saying you be squawking tales, let’s run ‘im through and keep jewel and gold both!”
“Squawking Tales!?” Suddenly the elder captain shoved back his chair. The screech of the wood on stone brought a silence over the tavern, as all eyes turned to focus on the commotion. “Do ye be doubting the honour of Captain Fennec? I’ve stuck to the Kraken’s Oath longer than your Pa’s drawn breath.” Red faced he drew a curved cutlass and raised it in the air. “Never a secret revealed or a buccaneer betrayed for as long as I’ve seen water!” Fennec lowered the point of his blade to the young man’s throat. “Any who dare say o’erwise wont live to say it again!”
The young sailor leaned back in his chair, laughed heartily and rested his hands behind his head.
“Yes, yes, my grouchy mentor, all that dance the blue know of your well earned reputation. That is why I come to you first with such a prize, no?”
“Then what are you talking about, ye daft duck!” Confusion filled the jeweled head of the elder man as he slowly re-sheathed his sword, but the tension in the tavern did not lift. In fact people began to crowd around them. Even Aluna risked getting closer. The Kraken’s Oath was a bond between pirates to never betray each other by word, deed or deal lest a curse befall their entire ship and crew.
Its name came from an ancient tale of the great pirate explorer, Irwin Wild Otter. In the fable, the cunning pirate had captured the King of the sea itself, the Kraken. The great beast pledged its strength to Irwin and his, if only he would release it back to the briny depths. He agreed to free the creature, but henceforth it could never attack any ship that sailed under his black skull flag. He also charged the mighty Kraken to take retribution on any who betrayed his trust. The pact was made. Thus any who honour the creed set forth by the Wild Otter would be safe from harm by the terrifying monster. A code amongst thieves and adventurers who flew the dreaded black banner, to never betray each other by word, deed or deal. Breaking the oath would mean betraying Captain Irwin himself and the traitor would soon face the tentacled wrath of the legendary beast.
Aluna listened intently. It was one thing to study these stories of old but quite another to see the effects of these tales still resonating in people’s lives.
“Now listen hear laddy, you need to be making sense and quickly if you want to be trading here again in future! There’s not a fellow in this inn who doesn’t have a bounty attached to them, so there are none who would dare betray the oath for some measly coins. So who do you be accusing of spreading tales?”
The young braggart smiled mischievously before kipping up to his feet, eyes twinkling and arms spread wide in a grand gesture.
“Why Simon of course! Simon will be telling all of how he is the greatest fisherman in the whole world. There shall be none with a bigger number under their name than he! No matter the catch, Simon always reels them in, and with great ease, no? The guards will be screaming his name longingly in every town and village. Even the lovely Lady Sea, she yearns to embrace Simon Swiftsail in her bountiful blue bosom, yet she cannot bare to deprive the world of my magnificence! So be you all grateful to my Lady Love! Her unfathomable, selfless generosity will allow you to bask in Simon’s spectacular personage for all your days! You lucky things, you.”
The room erupted in laughter, shouted harrumphs and a few bits of cloth and heels of bread were chucked dismissively at Swiftsail as all returned to normal. The man actually took a bow before snatching a piece of bread out of the air and taking a bite as he sat.
“You’re moon touched laddy, no doubt. But damned if I don’t like you. Done and done then and we’ll see who comes out the better for this one, next time the currents bring us together.”
Simon produced a diamond the size of an apple and casually tossed it to the old seaman, who scrambled to catch hold of it and stuffed it into a bag that hung around his neck. The look he gave Simon almost seemed guilty as he counted out fifty standard gold coins and pushed them across the table before taking his leave with a final tip of his hat.
Aluna watched on in fascination. This man had, in a room full of pirates, fighters and Sage knew what else, openly admitted to breaking the Kraken’s Oath by informing the guards, on himself no less. He had confessed to stealing the largest Jewel Aluna had ever seen, had sold it for a price that no one in their right mind would sell even a chip of that gem for and then proclaimed that he had also let the guards know that he was the one who had stole it. The man was clearly insane, boasting about how he cannot die and that he was wed to the sea itself! Pah! And yet everyone simply took it in stride, like it was an everyday occurrence? The man sat smiling for a moment before he suddenly scooped up his gold in one smooth motion and danced out of the tavern.
Aluna snatched her pack and hurried after him. She had made a decision. She had no idea who Simon Swiftsail was or where he was going or even what possible use he could be to her in her quest for retribution but she was still a Lore Steward after all. A keeper of stories. And this man, this man was a story waiting to happen. She burst out into the light and frantically swung her head from side to side to see which way the lunatic had escaped to. She desperately scanned the various walkways only to find that he stood just ahead of her with his back to the bar. He seemed to be standing on the pier staring deep into the river’s depths clinking his coins in one hand. Then all of a sudden he reared back and threw towards the river, skipping the gold coins into the water one by one.
“What the hell are you doing man?” Aluna blurted out without thinking. The shock of seeing someone simply throwing away good gold had rattled her. It was a pittance compared to what he had traded for them but fifty gold was still a lot of money to most people.
The man turned with a disappointed look on his face.
“Simon is trying to beat his record of nine skips but even Simon, master of throwing that he is, can only get five hops at best out of these golden pebbles.” He turned and tried again. Three splashes.
“You see! It must be the stones for it could not be the fault of one so talented as I, yes? Yes, I can see that you are agreeing.”
“What are you talking about? Why are you throwing good coin into the river? You must be mad, sunshine!”
“Ah yes! You see it, don’t you! Simon has always known it but you, now confirm it! Simon, he does glow like the sun.”
“What? No, I…”
“Yes, a Captain such as I, illuminates the world around him! Look how bright my blue Lady Love shimmers. She is pleased with her cut of the bounty, no?”
Aluna stood mouth agape. “What?”
“Until the next caper my azure beloved,” He doffed his hat and bowed flamboyantly before spinning on his heel and sauntering off along the pier.
Aluna felt dumbstruck. “What in Galdon’s name are you talking about? What...Hey!” She shouted as she ran after him as quick as she could muster. The man at least had the decency to wait at her call and even allowed her to catch her breath.
“Wait...wait just a minute...I need…I need a ship.”
“Good Lady, it is a beautiful day, and a voyage on the beautiful waters is always pleasant, yes, but why tell Simon this? Surely there are many a boat owner who will give you a delightful little day trip upon the playful ripples that you have no need to be so forlorn as to approach a devilishly handsome rogue such as I?” He stood acting befuddled for a second before leaning in conspiratorially. “Or is it a rogue you do be seeking, no?”
“Well, I…”
“If so I am afraid Simon cannot be of any help to you! Yes dear lady for you see Simon does not engage in unreputable behaviours! Simon, the living legend, as some will soon be saying, only embarks upon quests that warrant a great abundance of reputation. A brilliant shining sun such as Simon needs to be spoke of across the world, yes!”
“Listen you babbling brook of a man. I need a ship leaving the Clanlands for a time and I’m willing to work my way. I am a Lore Steward and will happily ease any voyage you embark upon with tales and stories to lift the spirits of you and your crew. That alone should be worth the price of passage, no?” Aluna did her best to stand confidently in front of this strange enigma. Normally Captains would leap at any form of entertainer willing to go to sea but this rascal was unreadable. He stood staring off towards the river for a moment before seemingly coming to a conclusion.
“A Lore Steward? One who wishes to be leaving no less. Simon knows of some... acquaintances who do be paying a large ransom to be meeting a Lore Steward. Now Simon is a man of honour, a hero some might say, so I will tell you true. These associates, they are not known for their kindness, you understand, yes? The journey is also long and very dangerous indeed to mortal sailors. Even Simon admits that it can be an inconvenience to one as great as I. But if away you must go Simon cannot think of another option.”
Aluna thought about everything he had said. Safely distant from the Clanlands. An introduction to a nefarious group who were actively seeking Lore Stewards.
“Who are these friends of yours Simon?”
The man actually seemed uncomfortable for the first time since she had met him. His eyes darted around to make sure no one was close enough to hear.
“Friends? No no no no no. Not friends, learned one. Let us just say that Simon has had dealings in similar circles to them. As for their name, they go by many names, people like them always do but the one known to the world and to Simon is the Storm Chasers.”
The name sent shock waves through Aluna. A name etched in the annals of legend. A name written in blood, woe and misery. A name all but forgotten if not for the efforts of her ancestors. A name perfect for bringing about her retaliation.
“When do we set sail?”