An Intercepted Signal

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 47886

Charlie sent a undirected signal, using the silent speech. It was dangerous. He only had a general idea of where the nearest ships were, and did not have time to direct the speech. It was a risk that he would have to take. The Gold Coast would need some help getting back underway. Although the crew of the Gold Coast might defeat the dragon, he doubted that they could do so without the loss of the ship, and most probably his life. There were other ships of the fleet who could come to his assistance. The Gold Coast needed to buy some time, and placate Astra long enough for them to come to his aid. And, in the worst case, if they failed to prevent her from carrying out an attack, the Lords of the Sea would need to know of her existence.


The sun had just broken over the horizon. Inside a large manor, two old men sat at a table, playing chess. They spoke a language that neither Fred, nor Solbert, nor Sartoma, nor Astra, would have recognized. Checkers and Jan, the two natives of the Morninglands, would have immediately recognized it as Barque, an important foreign language of the western part of that continent. In this case, it was Barque e Sinter, the dialect of Barque spoken in Blacksand and its colonies. Checkers had learned some phrases of the language during her outbound journey to the Shreken, but it was Barque e Arkata, the dialect spoke further south. Jan, on the other hand, knew the dialect of Barque e Sinter quite well, from the Sintera who lived in the small Blacksander outposts to the south of the Black Capes.

One of the old men was bald on the top of his head, with just a fringe of gray hair remaining at the back. As most of the Sintera were, his skin was a deep shade of brown, almost dark to the point of being black. In his youth he had been powerful and muscular, and while some of that had now gone to fat, he was still a man who commanded respect. A wide and easy smile now broke out, and his deep brown eyes sparkled. His large fist enveloped a piece, and moved it across the board.

"Bishop to Queen Six, discovered check, my friend," he said.

The other man was thin, and had a short, trim white beard. His skin was a shade lighter in tone than his friend, and his eyes were a misty hazel. He had slowly been going blind over the past few years. He could still see well enough, if he had a strong light. And the man had other senses where he could compensate. Sometimes these other senses even helped bring him comfort.

The thin man said nothing, and the other man continued smiling. Finally, he nodded, and offered a draw. The large man laughed, with a good nature. He then responded, "No, Esau, not this time. Mate in four."

Esau said, "No, not in four," and then held up his right hand suddenly. The large man stopped smiling, and stared at him intently. Esau nodded slightly, and said nothing. He continued to nod from time to time, quietly, with his hand still raised in the air. He then lowered his hand, looked at the large man in the eye, and said, "I resign. Let's go to the sand now."

The large man took Esau by his arm, and guided him outdoors, to a large sandbox. He took a large smooth stick, and Esau began to talk. The large man wrote down what the thin man was saying.

When Esau had finished, the large man frowned, and asked, "What does it mean, Esau?"

Esau responded, "A dragon from beyond the sea. A new one. The Lords of the Sea have discovered it. Someone named Charlie is calling in for help from his buddies, and using Barque to try to keep the message secret." The thin man now rolled his eyes slightly, and smiled, while shaking his head. "Today is a red-letter day, Lord Bull. There is justice in this world. The Archeron of the city should know about this as soon as possible."


Back on the Gold Coast, there was chaos. Astra lay coiled at the base of the mast, threatening snap it in two and hobble the ship further. She was surrounded by some of the crew of the Gold Coast, who kept themselves outside a ring of about five meters. The rest of the crew was now awake, and either putting out the last of the fire or looking out at sea for more of the enemy. Orders were given and countermanded, as sailors rushed to and fro.

Finally, three men appeared on the outside of the circle. There was a tall man who wore a sort of uniform, which was unusual. He carried a fine dress sword, and wore a red scarf and jacket. The second man had a pair of boots tied by a rope slung around his neck, and was barefoot. He had a hard looking face, and betrayed a little fear as he approached. He was guarding a prisoner, Lord Fred. His hands were bound behind his back, but he could now walk and speak.

The man in the uniform spoke. "I am the First Mate of the Gold Coast, Astra. We have your friends, and your hoarde. Including the two coins. It would be a pity if they got lost, as could easily happen. And we also know, from your friend Sartoma, that you are tired, and need sleep. If you wish to live, then I would advise surrendering."

The first mate obviously knew quite a bit about her and her party already. The threat about the coins got her attention, but she realized that they could not have had them, or access to them. Otherwise, how could she have retained her power? She decided to test him.

"I do not believe that you have the coins. And why have you brought Lord Fred here, and not the others? And where are your captain, and your mage?"

"Those are fair questions. We are not stupid. The captain and Charlie are needed elsewhere. If you attack again, then they will assist in our response. Lord Fred is here to help reassure you that your friends are still alive, and in our power. He might help us come to terms of surrender that you will accept. As for the coins,

  1. I have them right here."
  2. They are with the captain, in another place."
  3. Someone has hidden them away. But we shall find them."

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree


Anableps

12/22/2004 10:18:58 PM

Extending Enabled

The Never Ending Quest Home

Extend-A-Story Home

21392081 episodes viewed since 9/30/2002 1:22:06 PM.

Do not click me.