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.”
“True,” Ghaji said, “but then again, Onkar isn’t all that uncommon a name. Our Onkar doesn’t have to be the Onkar, if you know what I mean.”
“It could be coincidence,” Diran allowed, “or a simple mistake on the part of the survivors. Terrified people don’t always make the best witnesses.”
“I cannot dispute your words,” Flotsam said. “I can only pass along what I have learned.”
“Let’s assume for a moment that Erdis Cai is behind the Black Fleet raiders,” Diran said, “perhaps as the master vampire with Onkar as his disciple?”
Ghaji shrugged. “I suppose Erdis Cai and his crew wouldn’t be the first adventurers to stumble upon a nest of vampires.” The half-orc let out a snorting laugh. “Look how often it happens to us.”
“Except when they stumbled out again, they were transformed,” Diran said, “and not for the better.”
“So Erdis Cai and his crew are vampires and the other raiders are their human servants?” Ghaji asked.
“I believe so,” Diran said. “Perhaps Erdis Cai has promised to reward them with immortality if they serve him well.”
“If all this is true,” Ghaji said, “why go about raiding as the Black Fleet? Why draw attention to yourself at all? If the Lhazaar Princes were to pool their resources and go after the Fleet, which they will likely soon do if the raids keep up, the Fleet would be crushed. There has to be an easier, less risky way for Cai to obtain their food.”
Diran thought for a moment. “Perhaps they aren’t abducting people for their blood, or at least, not only for it. Perhaps they have another reason, one that’s worth the risks they take.”
A dark scowl came over Diran’s face, and Ghaji knew he was thinking about Makala and wondering if she was still alive. Ghaji wished he could say something to reassure his friend, but he could think of nothing.
“That makes sense,” Yvka said. “Over the months the Black Fleet has been striking at increasingly larger targets. Port Verge was the largest so far.”
“Maybe the raiders are simply getting more confident,” Ghaji said.
“Perhaps they’re working to some manner of timetable,” Diran said, “and they need to abduct as many people as they can as swiftly as possible.”
“This talk is all well and good,” Ghaji said, “and who knows? Some of it might even be true, but what use is it to us? If Erdis Cai is the vampire lord of the Black Fleet, how does knowing this held us find him?”
“It doesn’t,” Yvka said.
Flotsam cocked his head in a way that made him seem as if he were thinking. “I believe I might know of someone who might be able to lead you to Erdis Cai. He is a human named Tresslar, an elderly artificer who serves on Dreadhold. According to rumor, as a young man he sailed with Erdis Cai. If anyone could tell you more about Cai, it would Tresslar. Assuming the rumors are true, of course.”
“Very well,” Diran said. “Then we shall set sail for Dread-hold at once. Thank you, Flotsam, for…” The priest broke off, his eyes widening. “The shifter is trying to steal the Zephyr!”
