It was barely daybreak and the port was a hive of activity, the sounds of traders loading and unloading their goods, sailors readying their ships for sail and fishermen hauling crates of fresh fish whilst the waves gently lapped against the inner harbour walls. Gulls cawed overhead, circling the fishing boats for scraps thrown overboard.
Liss sauntered through the early morning crowd, her eyes fixed on the ship at the end of the jetty that she had been assured was the one she sought. Her travelling cloak wrapped tightly around her, as if it could protect her from the stench of rotting fish and pipe smoke that seemed to hang in the air, she quickened her pace. As she reached the ship, she felt a growing sense of dread in the pit of her stomach at the sight of it rocking in the calm waters. Checking the flowing script on the side of the ship, ‘The Mermaid’s Secret’ still legible despite the chipped and weathered paint, she was equally relieved and disturbed. She watched for a moment as the crew loaded the remaining few crates into the hold, no doubt supplies for the voyage, and steeled herself. She was a powerful Elemental Mage and the water was no threat to her. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
Swallowing the rising panic with stubborn grit, she stepped toward the woman she assumed was Captain from her commanding stance and extended her hand in greeting.
“Captain.” She said, projecting confidence she did not have, “Lisselá De Sauveterre, of the Wardens. I understand you are expecting me.”
“Aye lass,” The Captain confirmed with a crooked smile, “Yer luggage is in your cabin. Don’t know what you need so much for, mind. Climb aboard, your companion’s already here.”
Liss gave her a tight smile and murmured her thanks, trying not to show her displeasure at being referred to as a ‘lass’. Ascending the gangway, hands desperately clutching the rope railing as she climbed, she spared a forlorn look at the land behind her and once more questioned her sanity for willingly boarding a sea vessel.
She stepped onto the deck with a heavy sigh, going a little green around the gills as she felt it swaying beneath her feet, and felt her heart sink further as she spotted her Warden companion. He seemed completely at ease, almost happy to be on the wretched thing, and she could feel a headache surfacing at the prospect of spending weeks with the insufferable man.
“Priest.” Liss gritted out with a terse nod of her head.
