[Episode 3] Spire and the Dragonwood Affair

[Novelette] Tales of Stonehaven [1,997 words]

Spire and the Dragonwood Affair is the first of five novelettes in The 5th Compass series. Captain Silverblade, the most feared and hated pirate in all of Stonehaven, has put her life in the hands of four of her most trusted pirates. Their mission is to each take possession of an enchanted compass and hide them where no one can ever find them. This is the story of Spire and how he got on with hiding the compass given to him.

As Spire struggled to yank his dagger free from the table, he could hear Wendynn barking orders to his men. He underestimated just how deep Wendynn had lodged the dagger and needed to apply both hands to it to yank it free. The regret of his two-handed decision came the moment he felt the blade slice his palm.

He hissed and quickly grabbed a cloth to press down and tie around his wound. His dagger now covered in his blood reminded him of a time in his youth and a friend he thought he had long since forgotten. Spire returned to his chair and thought about Duke, the previous owner of the dagger who was a main reason he needed to leave Dragonwood for good.

No one, not even Shade, ever knew where exactly Duke came from, just that he was bad news and everyone in Dragonwood hated him. But no man hated him more than Lord Baylish. The moment Duke arrived in Dragonwood his goal was to seek the wealthiest person so he could gain their confidence and ultimately take everything they had. Having traveled many distant lands, Duke knew kings weren’t always the wealthiest. And he took less than a day to figure out Lord Baylish was his target.

Shade was just a boy when he met Duke. And although he had been working for Lord Baylish, who had taken him under his wing, Shade saw Duke as someone he wanted to be just like. Duke carried himself differently from Lord Baylish. He didn’t stay in the shadows and let others do his dirty work for him. If ever Duke had something to say or was in the mood for a fight, he would walk right up to an unsuspecting person and beat them, even if it meant he suffered injury. Shade instantly latched onto Duke and brought him into the fold led by Lord Baylish.

Over time, Duke became grateful to Shade and treated him like the brother he never knew he wanted. They were thick as thieves and they were never without the other. But eventually, Duke would grow board working under someone else. He enjoyed stealing but didn’t enjoy having to give half, or sometimes even more than half, of what he stole to Lord Baylish. The time had come for him to make his move and he hoped to bring Shade along with him on his plan.

At first Shade didn’t want to as he was still very loyal to Lord Baylish and how he had taken care of him when no one else would. He felt he owed Lord Baylish his life. But Duke assured him they would only take what they were due for all the hard work and dedication they have put in. He promised they wouldn’t take it all.

On the night Duke put his plan into action he just used Shade as a lookout, making sure no one would catch him. Shade never saw just how much Duke ran off with until they met at the stream near Lord Baylish’s home. It was there that Shade knew they were both in trouble. Duke had taken it all and was laughing at how good it felt.

“Can you believe how easy that was? Look. Just look at all this that fat cow was keeping for himself, instead of sharing it with us.” Duke laid out a large sheet he had taken with him to put everything in that he planned on taking.

“Is that everything he had? You promised.” Shade looked at Duke, as if for the first time and couldn’t believe he could have been so blind not to realize his greed. His eyes never shone so brightly as he looked down at the treasure he had stolen.

“What’s wrong with you? I did this for us. Now we can run away, far away from here like we always talked about. Baylish would never find us. We’re free.”

But Shade didn’t want to leave Dragonwood. He liked it there. And he knew of many women who would be sad to see him go, especially Isobel, whom he grew fond of most. But Shade didn’t tell Duke how he felt.

Instead, the next morning Shade snuck away and returned to Lord Baylish’s house just as he discovered someone had taken all his money.

“He didn’t mean to. I did not know he would take all of it. I thought he would only take some,” Shade said, only glancing at Baylish who sat and listened intently. “I’ll get it back from him. I promise. And if he’s gone, I’ll steal for you until I replace what he’s taken.”

Lord Baylish continued to look at Shade with a stern expression on his face that was unreadable. “Shade, I must say I’m at a loss. Have I not been good to you? To both of you? To think that you would steal from me.” Shade started to speak again, but Lord Baylish raised a hand to silence him. “Please, no more apologies. Consider them accepted, on one condition.”

“Name it,” Shade said, eagerly wanting to do whatever he could to put things right between him and Lord Baylish.

“Go to your friend. I know he is very fond of you. I doubt he would leave without you if that was his plan. And when you return to him, don’t tell him you told me what happened last night.”

Shade furrowed his eyebrows, confused and unsure what was being asked of him. “Then what shall I say? He will wonder where I’ve been.”

“Tell him whatever you like. Just not the truth. Then, bring him to Suicide Shore. Make up some reason but bring him there… tonight.”

“Why?”

“Just do as I ask. It’s the least you can do after what you’ve stolen from me!” Shade saw what Lord Baylish was like when angry, though he’d never had cause to yell at him the way he did now, and it gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He nodded, agreeing to trick Duke into going to Suicide Shore with him. He hoped that Lord Baylish would forgive them both afterwards and things could go back to normal.

The place where Shade was to take Duke was near the shoreline of a hidden area of Dragonwood where few would ever dare go. Aside from the choppy waves that always crashed up through the sharp and dangerous flat rocks that covered the shore, there was the cliff several hundred feet above, known for falling rocks and occasionally, falling people. Aptly named Suicide Shore, for all the people who had thrown themselves, or in some cases were pushed, to their death.

Duke questioned why Shade was bringing him there. To this day, Spire couldn’t recall the reason he gave. He just remembered that it worked because within moments both were wet from head to toe, barely able to hear each other speak over the sound of the crashing waves.

It was Shade who looked up and saw several men leaning over the cliff, peeking behind some large boulders they were slowly pushing towards the edge. Shade screamed, “RUN!” But it was too late. Or at least he thought it was.

Shade threw himself into what little water was near the shore and maneuver around the rocks till he was in the water, swimming as far as he could before looking back for Duke. He swam about in circles, shouting his name, but there was no answer. Squinting towards the cliff he saw the man who hired him waving for him to come back to the shore while those who pushed the boulders over the edge took the long way around to his location. They were looking for Duke same as he was.

Realizing they had tricked him, and hating himself for being taken for a fool, he swam further out till his limbs tired out and he needed to find the shore. He was several miles away from Suicide Shore, wet, cold, and exhausted. He dropped onto the shore and let the sun dry him and provide him with enough energy to get up and find shelter till he could decide what to do next. He wanted to avenge his friend’s death, but he also wanted to find his body and give him a proper burial. He knew that was what Duke would do.

Shade found an abandoned shack not too far from shore to sleep the night away, tossing and turning and waking every few hours drenched in sweat, calling for Duke to watch out. The sun broke through the cracks in the shack, waking him and his grumbling stomach. He needed food but the thought of eating while Duke might still lay face down somewhere along Suicide Shore made his stomach turn. He resigned himself to search for his friend first, then nurse his appetite.

The walk to Suicide Shore was longer than he expected, as he was not sure just how far he had swum when he made his daring escape. His stomach made a sound unlike anything he had ever heard, and he knew he needed to eat something, otherwise he would not have the energy needed to search the water for his friend. Just ahead he spotted a little girl playing in the sand, a meal of cheese and bread near what Shade would only describe as a terribly fortified sand castle. As he approached, his shadow cast across her, blocking the sun. She looked up at him, unafraid, though he looked frightful.

“Do you like my castle?” she asked him, innocently.

Shade passed his tongue across his dry and cracked lips, eyeing the bread and cheese ravenously. “Yes, I do,” he spoke softly and fell to his knees beside her, his eyes never left the little girl’s food.

She noticed he was staring at her food, drool escaping the corner of his mouth. He stretched his arm out for it and she quickly grabbed the bread and cheese, holding them just out of his reach.

“You haven’t even looked at my castle. Why do you look at my food that way?”

“What way?”

“Are you hungry? My father says a hungry man is a dangerous man. But you don’t look dangerous.”

Shade could not answer. He was hungrier than he realized and tried to think back to the last time he ate anything. It felt like three days ago when he was with Duke. They were at one of their favorite taverns, dining on mutton and ale. Duke had commented that he was growing tired of mutton and suddenly Shade remembered how he tricked his friend and lured him to his death.

“I’ve heard a rumor that Suicide Shore has the best fish. Easy to catch too. They gather there because no one would be crazy enough to catch them there. But I bet we could. Catch at least one or two for ourselves? A feast for a king?”

Shade knew that nothing would stand between Duke and the possibility of a delicious meal even if it meant risking his life at Suicide Shore.

The little girl handed over a piece of bread and cheese and Shade tore into it like an animal. She turned away and resumed building her castle, ignoring the sounds of moaning and smacking that came from Shade polishing off every crumb.

“What’s your name?” she asked, her head still turned away, building her castle.

He thought of Duke and wondered just how much he knew of him. Was Duke even his real name? Did any of it matter?

Returning to his feet, Shade looked down at the girl who now sat in his shadow briefly shaded from the sweltering sun. “My name is Shade. Forget you ever saw me.”

The girl got to her feet and watched Shade walk towards Suicide Shore. “Don’t you want to know my name?” she shouted after him, but he never turned around.