Damp Powder

The captain replied, "Everyone gets their due. Jan will continue to be part of the crew of a ship, either this one or some other ship. That is for me to decide. As for the rest of your company, I have learned a great deal from the captain of the Gold Coast, but I hope to learn more. If your homes are across the great ocean, as I have heard, then you will never see them again, barring a miracle. So I have to find you places where you might be useful, and not likely to cause problems for me and my friends. I hope that you would like to have me as a friend."

Fred took a cup of liquor, and sipped at it. Ouzo was strange tasting stuff, a sweet and heavy drink. He nodded, and gazed at the captain, weighing his words carefully.

"I am in strange land, Captain. I don't need any enemies. But I need to see deeds, and not just hear words. It disturbs me a little that you think that you have to bind two ladies in irons."

One of the officers, Bartholomew, said, "One of them is a harpy. They don't count. And the men of the Gold Coast say that she tried to water their powder. That is very dangerous, and has to be punished. The blonde is a witch. Naturally you gotta watch her. But we don't want them hurt. They might be more use on shore."

Fred was curious about this 'powder'. He asked, "What happens when someone puts water in the powder?"

"The powder is no good. You have to get rid of it."

"Can't you just dry it out?"

"Oh, no. Don't ever try that. The problem is that it becomes very ticklish. Sometimes you can toss it in the fire and all you get is a little smoke. Sometimes you just open the lid of the powder barrel, you hear a *snap*, and then you are blown to bits."

Fred said, "I understand. That is not good. So when we all are to go 'on shore', what happens? Do we become slaves?"

"You might call yourselves servants," said Captain Jerimiah. "Some of you will end up in better places then others, probably. Anyway, it is harsh world, and you will have as good a chance at staying fed, clothed, and dry on the mainland as most souls there."

"It seems, at least, that Solbert and I have been treated well in comparison. I would be curious as to why."

The Captain replied, "As I have said, everyone gets their due. Those who do not try to hurt us, and act smart, get treated better. And I want to know how you ended up in the company of a dragon. Were you her servant?"

Lord Fred grinned and shook his head. "No, we met while on a quest. I was actually sent to slay a dragon that had been plaguing the Great Kingdom of Allaria. King Emry personally charged me with hunting him down and bringing him to justice."

Bartholomew said, "You mean that you were going to kill him. You were going to be judge and swing the axe as well."

Lord Fred replied drily, "He did not seem inclined to respond to a writ from the court, no. Anyway, I met Checkers, whom you call the harpy, and Astra, who was a dragon, in a cave that was his lair. We found Minestus, and Astra slew him, but while doing so became a dragon herself."

"So why didn't you kill her as well, being a dragon and all?"

"I almost did. Checkers came up with a trick where were able to knock out Astra, and then she proved that she was a newcomer to the ways of the dragons." Fred then told him about the test of the barrel roll. [22257] Although the men were not sure how much of this was the truth, Fred was slowly drawing the two men into his tale.

The watch candle had burned about half way. Fred told the tale of the deserted underground city, of Paul the Inn Keeper [36698], and of the statues in the great room plainly, letting the facts speak for themselves. He had told the story of the awakening of Solbert, but shrewdly left out any reference to his magical abilities. He had just gotten past that point in the story when Batholemew said, "This is good stuff, Fred. We have some good Black Rum below. Jeremiah, what do you think?"

"It is right strong. Lord Fred, do you think that you can handle it? I am not sure that they have such liquor in your land."

Lord Fred replied, "I can hold my liquor well. I would be willing to give it a try."

As Bartholemew left the room, Lord Fred said, casually, "You have primed her with some of the treasure of the other ship, the, uh, Stone, Stone..."

"Stony Brook," replied the Captain. "Um. No, I left no orders to do so. Why would I?"

Lord Fred replied, "Well, you don't have to, of course. If you have a mage, he should be able to manage her fine. But I have been around a little, and usually leaving a little treasure is much less trouble."

"Trouble? What do you mean? Taking away the hoard should make her easier to manage."

Lord Fred then did something that went against his character. He prided himself on being transparent, and saying exactly what he meant, but he was no stranger to courts. He could smile, pay the appropriate compliments, and most importantly, hide his true feelings. He had picked up some of the skills of a courtier, and now he used them to the utmost. Lord Fred let his eyes widen and his eyebrows arch, and slackened his jaw slightly, before regaining his composure. He then said, "You haven't done this before, have you?"

Jeremiah replied, "No. Dragons are a rare sight, naturally. What's the problem?"

Fred sighed, and said, sympathetically, "You and I live honest lives. I am a soldier, and you are a sailor and merchant. But when you get into creatures like dragons, nothing is ever quite what you would expect."

The captain was now paying attention, wondering what Lord Fred meant.

"Like your powder, when a dragon starts to weaken, the forces that keep the dragon's soul together, and give it its power, start to weaken first. That is dangerous. Bad things happen. The hidden fires in the dragon scorch those nearby. The magic of the dragon curses those around it. That is why you want to try to kill it while it is near its hoard, if you can. Besides the fact that it makes carrying the treasure out that much easier."

Bartholomew came into the room, a bit unsteadily, with another man and a small keg. The Captain said,

1. "Lord Fred, tell them what you told me."

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