The warforged turned and headed back to shore, and Yvka stepped forward to greet him.
Warforged had no facial muscles with which to express their feelings, but the constructs voice contained hints of both surprise and pleasure as he said, “My friend! What are you doing here?”
The elf-woman stepped up to the warforged and reached up to put her hand on his shoulders in greeting. The warforged made no move to touch her, which Ghaji thought wise. The construct might well crush the slender elf-woman if he tried to embrace her.
“I got tired of trying to find work in Port Verge, so I thought I’d try Skairn, and if that doesn’t work out, maybe Tantamar. I tell you, Flotsam, it’s getting damned difficult for a juggler to find honest work these days.”
“Indeed,” Flotsam replied. He lowered his voice before continuing. “Your employment situation must be most dire for you to risk bringing the Zephyr out into the open.”
“It is,” Yvka said. “I thought I’d stop here along the way on the off-chance you’d be about. I’m glad I did.”
“As am I.” Flotsam turned his head to look at Diran and Ghaji. “I saw you standing next to those two a moment ago. Friends of yours?”
Ghaji detected a deeper question beneath the warforged’s words, and he sensed that if Yvka said no, Diran and he would be in big trouble.
“They are.” She led Flotsam over to Diran and Ghaji. “These two gentleman were in need of passage, and I was happy to give them a ride.” She smiled. “For a fee, of course.”
“Naturally,” the warforged said.
Ghaji frowned. Yvka had made no mention of a fee before this.
“I am pleased to meet you, Flotsam,” Diran said. “My name-”
“-is Stendar,” Yvka quickly said, “and his half-orc companion is Thon. They are agents of a Sharn merchant who specializes in importing unique and exotic items. They’ve been traveling the Principalities searching for new wares to add to their employer’s stock.”
The warforged nodded. “I see. It is good to meet both of you. Any friend of Ardella’s is a friend of mine.”
Flotsam stuck out a large three-fingered hand for them to shake. Diran did so, then Ghaji. Touching the warforged’s hand was like touching that of a living statue, but at least Flotsam was careful to keep his grip gentle.
“How has your trip been?” Flotsam asked. “Have you met with much success?”
“Some,” Diran said, “but not as much as we’d like.”
“Ah. Well, perhaps your fortunes will change for the better now that you travel with Ardella. She’s something of a good luck charm.”
“Really?” Ghaji muttered. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Flotsam turned to look at Ghaji, the green fire in his eyes burning more intensely.
“He’s jesting,” Yvka said. Then in a mock-whisper, she added, “In truth, I think he has a crush on me.”
Ghaji blushed but said nothing.
Flotsam looked at the half-orc a moment longer before the green glow in his eyes dimmed to its normal intensity. The warforged turned to face Yvka once more. “What news do you bring from Port Verge?”
“Bad news, I fear,” Yvka said. “Last night the Black Fleet struck the town.”
Though Yvka kept her voice quiet, a number of the other people on the island turned in their direction, and the news was quickly picked up and spread throughout the crowd.
“Bad news indeed,” Flotsam said. “Were Prince Kolberkon’s Diresharks able to capture any of the raiders?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Yvka said, “but then we departed soon after the raid ended.”
“I see. I’m glad that you three managed to escape the Black Fleet,” Flotsam said.
“One of our companions did not,” Diran said grimly.
“You have my condolences.”
“We’d like more than that,” Yvka said. “Might you tell my friends the stories you’ve heard about the Black Fleet?”
Flotsam hesitated for a moment before responding, as if he were carefully considering his reply. “I was under the impression that you, as well as certain mutual associates of ours, had discounted those tales.”
“We had,” Yvka said, “but last night I saw some things that cast new light on your information.”
“Ah! In that case, I’d be more than happy to tell you what I know. Let us sit and talk.”
Ghaji eyed the craggy surface of Nowhere doubtfully. Simply sitting down might be fine for Flotsam; he didn’t have a flesh-and-blood behind. The large warforged sat, and so did Diran and Yvka, so Ghaji did as well, grimacing as he settled onto the hard, uneven rock.
“As Ardella may or may not have told you, I spend a great deal of my time on Nowhere, either atop the island’s surface or beneath the waves. I see and hear many interesting things… things that often prove of value to my friends.”
Ghaji was beginning to understand. If Yvka was a member of the Shadow Network, then perhaps Flotsam was too. What better place to station a spy than here, an uncharted island in the middle of the Lhazaar Sea where powerful people from across Khorvaire and beyond met to deal and scheme under the protection of neutrality?
“I would think your constant presence wouldn’t go unnoticed by those who come here,” Diran said.
“It doesn’t, but as the story goes, I was marooned here-toward the end of the Last War. I found this location soothing after so many years of conflict, so I rejected any offers of rescue from passing vessels. After a time I came to be considered the unofficial caretaker of Nowhere, a role I do my best to fulfill.”
Diran smiled. “As the story goes.”
Flotsam nodded.
“And some of the interesting information you’ve acquired relates to the Black Fleet,” Diran said.
“What I have to tell you was cobbled together from bits and pieces of stories told by dozens of travelers. Keep in mind also that Ardella’s and my friends ultimately discounted the information, but judge for yourself. The tale begins over forty years ago, with a man called Erdis Cai.”
“The explorer?” Ghaji said. Even he’d heard of the legendary sailor Erdis Cai who’d adventured throughout the world’s seas.
“The same,” Flotsam confirmed. “Forty years ago, Erdis Cai and his entire crew were lost when their ship, the Seastar, disappeared in the harsh waters of the north. Erdis Cai and his crew were never seen or heard from after that, and all were presumed dead. Decades passed, and one dark night three elemental galleons flying black sails appeared on the Lhazaar and began raiding small seaside villages, taking little of value save for the people that lived there.”
“The Black Fleet,” Ghaji said.
“The Fleet always struck at night and chose a different target every time,” Flotsam continued, “but their raids, as swift and devastating as they were, left behind survivors-not many, perhaps, but enough. They told of raiders dressed in gray and black, men and women with shorn heads, and they told of the fleet commander, a man named Onkar.”
Diran slapped his hand on his knee. “I knew that name was familiar! Onkar was the name of Erdis Cai’s first mate!”
Ghaji frowned. “Are you saying that the Onkar we faced was the same man who sailed with the Seastar forty years ago? That would make him eighty years old at least!”
“If Onkar is a vampire, his age would be irrelevant since he would not physically grow older,” Diran said. “You should know that by now, Ghaji, given how many undead you’ve slain at my side.”