laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

Waking to the gentle sound of rain hitting the thick paned glass, Lisa stared at the far wall, noting Alandria on the floor and comfortably resting within her own cloak. Today would be the start of yet another voyage and she wasn't looking forward to this one either. Dim light from the cloudy morning highlighted the modestly furnished room that they had slept in for the past few days. Most had wanted to rest before boarding another ship and she thanked them silently, even if it wasn't on her account. Slowly, she sat up and gazed out of the window.

"You're not that quiet," Tess murmured from beside her.

Lisa looked to her right and smiled. "I knew you were awake," she whispered. "But Alandria isn't. Not yet anyway."

"How'd you sleep?" Blue eyes opened and rose.

"Fine, you?"

"I've not slept soundly since putting on this new disguise," she half grinned.

Lisa smiled sympathetically. "That wasn't necessarily your choice either."

"How true," Tess pushed herself up and Lisa could tell that she had touched a sensitive subject and allowed it to drop. Quietly, they dressed as the rain began to subside with the parting of the clouds. Winter was not far off and they would have to head south quickly or be stuck here on the border between the Astaran and Kuzomen empires for several months. No one wanted to enjoy the New Year's celebration on the road again. Softly, they padded out of the room and closed the door, entering the darker hallway that led them to the staircase. As they descended, they noticed Gunnar, Selyria, Galena and Sceva sitting at a table, enjoying an early breakfast.

"Good morning," Lisa greeted as the near twins joined them.

"Hello there. Wonderful morning isn't it," Sceva returned. "I hope this stops before we set sail."

"It looks like it's breaking up and should be a nice day, actually," Gunnar stated.

"That's good to hear." The marshal of Elminoir took another bite of eggs as he glanced up to the door which opened to reveal Craban, shaking off his wet cloak and revealing his ferret who's long, tan-furred head emerged from the archmage's shoulder. He walked over and sat to the right of the knight of Kalmar. "Morning."

"Greetings," the half-elf said, waving over the innkeeper.

Lisa enjoyed the banter from her friends which eased her nervous stomach. As the others soon joined them and ate, they finally gathered their things and headed to the port. Upon seeing the bobbing vessels and smelling the salty breeze that blew in from the sea, she felt a flush wash over her and wondered why this trip was so much worse than others that she had been on before. Sighing, she tried to relax and ease her nerves as they turned right and walked along the stone dock, now busy with wagons laden with crates and barrels leaving and heading to the various warehouses that lined the shore.

"Alister, I think you'll like this vessel," Lericanin jabbed as they led their horses through the traffic, dodging sailors and merchantmen alike.

"Why?"

"You'll see," the larger knight of Arhus smiled mischievously until they arrived at the caravel that would be their home for the next two or three weeks and Lisa immediately got the joke upon seeing the green mascot whose head ended the tip of the bow. A dragon's head rose into the air and she pushed out a smile as Alister stopped and stared.

"That's not funny," Alister stated and she thought he was becoming as pale as she felt right now.

"It's a good omen. Don't worry," Duncan chided, patting Alister on the back. "You'll be able to face your worst fear in the face. Well, from behind that is."

"I hate all of you," the farmer's son from Carbost announced as he followed them up the plank and onto the main deck. Lisa made her way straight to the berthing area and assumed the position as she curled up on the hammock and pulled her cloak over her head. Still trying to push out the nausea, she sighed and filled her mind with thoughts of Stolberg and Duke William as well as her mothers. Soon, their ethereal embrace gave her some solace that helped her fall to sleep.

* * *

Waking with a start, Lisa felt water rushing over her as she fell backwards. Opening her eyes, she noted the darkness as wood crashed around her amid screams that soon were drowned in the thundering wave that carried her downward. Concentrating, she turned her body into a watery replica and rode that wave, allowing her to gain her bearings as she could feel the fear and anguish around her that emanated from the various minds who starved for air as they fought for their lives. Unable to help, she continued her fast ride towards some unknown destination and prayed that everyone else would find something to hold onto that would carry them to safety. Wherever that was.

Diving deeper, she dodged shattered beams, bodies and other gear as well as the stone ballast which all disappeared into the darkness below. Now she was certain of it, she hated boats.

Soon, she could feel immense boulders rising from the depths below and knew that a shoreline was nearby which prompted her to rise towards the surface. Thundering and swirling, she picked her way to a sandy beach and quickly reformed into her natural body, now soaked. Crawling upward, she was pushed from behind by another tall wave whose sudden pull nearly dragged her back out to sea as it then receded. Dropping, she clung to the sand allowing the strong wash to descend around her. Once gone, she quickly pushed herself up and ran towards nearby trees and took refuge as pelting rain, strong wind and the merciless waves went on. Sitting down against a tree, she sighed and tried to relax. She had to find the others, she thought as green eyes tried to scan through the rocky forest around her as the familiar hunger reminded her that the trip had thus far been longer than a week, at least. First thing first.