Tamar Zedek longingly looked at the sea through her barred window. Her new home, if she could even call it that, lacked the Gilded Swan’s natural beauty. Instead of the sun-bleached sandy beaches and gentle waves lapping up on shore, a persistent northerly wind sent unending surges against the rocky shoreline on the west side of Jade Island. Her pirate hosts barely had space along the coast to dock their ship, and the pier had to be extended over 100 feet due to the shallow, rocky sea floor.
Still, despite the conditions, Tami longed to be out there in the rough surf, soaking up the invigorating salt water. It had been over a week since she had been in the sea, and her Mana Generation had dropped to almost nothing. She felt weak and barely had the energy to maintain her human form. Combined with the fact that her kingdom's strength waned more and more each day as their nest remained empty, Tami didn’t think she could hold out much longer. The Aden Pirates promised to end her suffering, but she despised their plan.
A knock on the door interrupted her contemplation, and she didn’t bother responding, knowing the visitor wouldn’t take “No” for an answer. The door opened a few seconds later, and Tami kept staring out her window. “You need to get ready,” a voice told her. “Your king will be here soon.”
Tami recognized the speaker and turned to see Captain Dalmar standing just inside the doorway. As small as her quarters were, it was almost the middle of the room. This area belonged to the pirates’ harem, which she guessed she was part of now. The room only allowed enough space for a bed, a chair, and a closet with a few changes of clothes. More than enough space for a horny pirate seeking a woman’s attention, but hardly an environment fit to seduce a king. She suspected the large double-door suite on the adjacent wing of the balcony was where that would occur.
Turning her attention back to the visitor, Tami frowned as she saw the captain hadn’t come alone. Dalmar was a swashbuckler, a warrior devoted solely to using two blades and an elusive fighting style. The singular focus meant he was usually more skilled than any opponent he faced, but it also meant he lacked balance and was highly susceptible to damage and magical attacks. Back when she had mana at her disposal, she found that simply humming a song in his presence was enough to Charm him, and she sensed she could easily get him to do almost anything. Even now, in her weakened state, she could influence him.
But he wasn’t alone. Astur, a dwarven fighter, stood beside him. He was a more balanced character, and his dwarven nature gave him natural resistance to her charms. Still, he would be putty in her hands if she were at full strength. She hadn’t had access to that kind of power since her days at the Gilded Swan and, thus, had never been able to charm this dwarf successfully.
“You need to get dressed,” Dalmar said. “If you don’t do it, I will be more than happy to assist.”
Tami saw a glint in the handsome man’s eyes and shuddered. She couldn’t deny his attractiveness, with dark hair and skin dressed in flowing robes of blue and gold. In her former life, she had been with many men far less attractive. But that wasn’t her role now. Remarkably, neither he nor any other pirate here had laid a hand on her since she’d been in their company. She hadn’t known why at first, but ever since they had revealed their plan to her, it became clear. She knew they wanted her to stay with them after her kingdom had been secured, and the idea repulsed her. She doubted they would keep their hands off her then. Their insistence that she would feel differently once her quest was solved didn’t bring her much comfort.
“Get off the bed!” the dwarf said gruffly. “If I have to get you changed, I won’t be as gentle.”
Tami sighed and stood, catching her robe and cinching it closed before the men saw anything they shouldn’t. “I will get dressed,” she said. “But I do not like it. This is not the way it should be. I should not have to resort to this.”
“Onan is not coming for you,” Dalmar said. “If you want to save your kingdom, this is the only option.”
She didn’t want Onan to come for her. Her heart was set on his younger brother, Shelah, who was even less likely to rescue her. She began to compose another argument to the players but saw them cocking their heads in a familiar gesture and guessed their operators were speaking to them. She didn’t fully understand it, knowing only that certain people could commune with beings outside their realm. Many of her clients at the Gilded Swan had that ability.
“We must go,” Dalmar said eventually. “Please hurry.” They turned and left the room.
Tami sighed and dropped her robe, revealing her delicate nightgown. She moved over to a small wardrobe where several beautiful dresses hung. Thinking nostalgically, she chose the one she had worn when Shelah visited the Gilded Swan. Saying a prayer to the sea gods that somehow this would all work out, she got ready for the dinner party.
Captain Dalmar exited Tami’s room onto the balcony that ringed the large dining hall. Half a dozen other doors stood along the permitter, some open with harem girls lounging about waiting for the guests to arrive. They would serve the food and offer a night of pleasure to any merfolk who wished to partake. The last two rooms held men in case the king’s entourage was coed.
“Is it true?” Dalmar asked his operator as he moved toward the staircase that led down to the main room. A gigantic table that could seat 20 people stood in the center of the double-high hall with two massive chandeliers overhead.
{It is,} his operator said. {Someone has recovered the Eye of the Storm. They just checked in with our gatekeeper and are making their way here. They want an audience.}
The Somalis weren’t well enough equipped for each of their players to have an operator, so one person served all four of them. This meant Astur heard the same update. “We can’t have them here,” the dwarf said. “Not with the King and his people.”
“I don’t know,” Dalmar said, a disagreeing tone in his voice as he descended the stairs. “This might work out in our favor.”
“What do you mean?” Astur asked, his short, dwarven legs hustling after his taller partner.
The captain didn’t answer immediately and instead looked at the scene before him. The table was set with their best china. No expense was spared. The crystal wine glasses had golden rims. The silverware was made from actual silver. Even the napkin rings had encrusted diamonds. Food filled the table as men and women brought bread, fruit, and appetizers from the private kitchen serving this exclusive floor. A third group member observed the process, giving directions when needed.
“Abshir,” Dalmar said, walking up to the player from behind. “You heard the news?”
The barbarian man turned around. Usually, the muscular character was shirtless, wearing only baggy pants and leather straps crisscrossing his chest to hold twin axes on his lower back. For this more formal occasion, he wore a purple vest with gold embroidery, his chiseled torso still clearly visible underneath. “Someone stole the Eye,” he said. “That puts a wrinkle in things.”
“But for the better, no?” Dalmar asked. “Are the merfolk here?”
Abshir nodded. “Axado is downstairs with them, applying alcoholic lubrication. We are almost ready up here. What will we do with the players who have the Eye?”
“I think we have to embrace it,” Dalmar said. “We don’t have any other choice.”
“We can make this area restricted,” Astur offered, walking around their leader to form a triangle with the barbarian. “They might ruin our negotiations.”
“I don’t think we can restrict this area,” Dalmar said. “We set up the stronghold so that anyone with the Eye would have full access. We don’t have to tell them about our meeting with the king, but we can’t keep them from crashing the party. That’s why I think it is best to invite them in.”
Abshir scowled at the captain. “You have a plan, don’t you?”
Dalmar grinned. “Always.”
Jace walked into the dining hall slowly, observing everything. He was playing the part of an NPC, letting Wallace take all the credit for stealing the Eye of the Storm. Thursa stood beside him, calmly waiting for directions from his leader, and Jace tried to mimic the inactivity while simultaneously scoping out the room. Of course, Esther, in her librarian outfit, was as outgoing and flamboyant as ever, so Jace figured there wasn’t a set way for NPCs to act.
The dining hall was massive, fifty feet long and half again as wide. An enormous oval table with about twenty place settings sat in the middle. The thirty-foot-high ceiling had skylights and chandeliers. Night was upon them, and magical illumination within the hanging crystal sculptures took the place of sunlight. Balconies on three sides held beautiful women and men dressed in Arabian haram flair with loose translucent sleeves and pant legs drawn tight and the wrists and ankles. The women wore halters while the men had vests, each showing tight stomachs and plenty of skin.
As Jace and his crew entered, the harem crowd descended the stairs to meet them. King Neptudah already sat at the head of the table on the far side of the room. He wasn’t what Jace expected. But then, Jace wasn’t sure what he should expect: Santa Claus in a wetsuit? King Triton from The Little Mermaid? He was neither of those. Neptudah was large but not fat. He appeared as a human with black hair and a closely trimmed beard. The king was happy and laughing, obviously several wine glasses deep already. Jace’s party entered at the foot of the table, and the merfolk didn’t notice them with so many other people already congregating about. Two mermaids and one male sat at the table. They all wore dark blues and blacks with suit coats, dresses, and lots of pearls.
Almost a dozen other merfolk stood at attention around the room's perimeter, filling the space between doors and windows. They were a mix of male and female holding tridents and shields and looking about as stoic and unflinching as the Queen’s Guard outside Buckingham Palace. Standing alongside the aquatic guards were human and dwarven soldiers. Their purple, orange, and gold color scheme matched the pirate’s internal décor. If a fight broke out, it was going to get crowded quickly.
More pirates sat at the table between the merfolk, chatting, eating, and drinking. Gracie told Jace four of them were players, and Jace’s keen eye picked out the half-dozen NPCs belonging to them. At least one of the pirate characters noticed their arrival and excused himself from the table to greet the newest guests.
“Welcome, welcome,” the flamboyantly dressed human said. Two scimitars hung from the belt that secured his colorful robes. “My name is Captain Dalmar.” He approached Wallace first. “And you must be Sir Wallace Wilhelm. It is good to meet you. So, you really did it. You stole the Eye of the Storm.”
“We did,” Wallace said. Jace could tell she was nervous. To keep up the façade, she needed to play the party leader. She was used to trudging through crypts, killing undead. Not a lot of roleplaying required.
“You’ll have to tell me how you did it over dinner. I’m sure your companions helped and . . .” his voice stuck in his throat as he laid eyes on Esther. “And who might this beautiful creature be?” He reached out to take her hand and kissed the back. “Did you smuggle a nymph into my brothel to secretly charm us all?”
“I’m a librarian,” Esther said. Jace winced. They should have rehearsed her cover story.
“Is that like a bard?” Dalmar chuckled.
“I don’t sing,” Esther replied. “My name is Jessica.”
“She’s like a cross between a bard, a mage, and a priest,” Wallace added, thinking on her feet. “Her knowledge is vast. It’s how I’m successful in the game.”
Jace wanted to slap his head in frustration. Esther likely had the lowest Wisdom score in the room. Hopefully, no one would try to dip into her “well” of knowledge tonight.
“Very good, very good. Please take a seat at my table. There is plenty of food and drink. I’m sure you will want to talk about the Eye soon, and we can certainly do that. I am entertaining merfolk royalty tonight, and your presence is an unplanned delight. Please help yourself to anything you see before you: food, wine, women, men. Nothing is off-limits tonight.”
Six seats remained, and with a nod from Dalmar, three of the NPCs at the end of the table got up and shifted their position, leaving empty seats between them. Jace smiled. The pirate captain wanted to put his crew between the guests. It could be considered a show of hospitality to encourage meeting new people and spark conversation, but Jace also saw it as a defensive move. Esther led Thursa to the left side of the table and successfully Grappled a level 15 elven ranger one seat over so the “librarian” could still sit next to the brawny druid.
Jace sat beside the displaced elf with a female dwarven bard on his other side. Everyone around him dug into the food and began chatting. It wasn’t hard to make a half-orc fighter look averse to conversation, and after a few monosyllabic grunts in response to the NPCs' queries, he got the indifference he sought. The bard went so far as to shift to an empty seat away from him to get closer to Wallace.
From the information his CIA team had gathered, Jace knew Dalmar acted as the group's leader, a competent swashbuckler. There was a dwarven fighter, a human barbarian, and an elven mage. They had darker skin and black hair, with facial features chosen to simulate Middle Eastern heritage. The dark elf mage, Axado by name, sat next to the king with Abshir, the barbarian, on the other side.
Jace knew nothing of King Neptudah’s group. A regal, older mermaid sat one seat over from the king; she could have been the queen or just an advisor. Jace was sure a fight would break out when they challenged ownership for Tami, and there was no way to gauge strengths and weaknesses at this point. If they had to fight everyone in the room, winning would be almost impossible. He could only hope to pit these two groups against each other. Even then, not knowing how strong the six pirate NPCs were made planning difficult.
“How is Psycho doing?” Jace asked quietly.
{They defeated Cloudspark,} Gracie informed him, {and they have the younger brother. Gromphy insisted they needed to do another short mission. I told him no, but when he asked what you were doing, and I said you were still waiting to get access to this meeting, he felt he had time. Ever since then, I’ve lost contact.}
“Where could he go to make you lose contact?”
{I have no idea. The enchantment we’re using to communicate is brand new. We haven’t tested it out in all situations. I’ll keep monitoring him and get them to you as fast as possible.}
Dinner progressed for fifteen minutes with little activity. At one point, Esther called over to a male server and appeared to inquire about one of the rooms upstairs, particularly the one with double doors above the head of the table. At first, the haram male was excited at the opportunity to take the attractive woman upstairs, but once it was clear she wanted room for her and Thursa alone, his attitude shifted. Before they could finalize the arrangements, Dalmar cleared his throat loudly and stood up.
Tapping his wine glass, the captain spoke over the din. “Ladies and gentlefolk, please, may I have your attention. I’d like to propose a toast to our honored guests.” Once the room acknowledged him, he continued. “To King Neptudah. May his scales never grow dull, and his feet never wander too far from shore.”
Glasses rose, and several characters added “Hear, hear,” or “Huzzah.” Everyone drank.
“But of course, I did not invite you here just to drown you with wine and stuff you with food.”
“Good,” someone interrupted, “for it would take all the wine in the realm to drown a merman.” Everyone laughed.
“Too true, too true,” Dalmar continued. “So, before you kind merfolk drink me out of house and home, let me get down to business. It seems our interests above and below the seas align, and I am always one to act in a friend’s best interest. If I can call you a friend, good king.”
The merman’s bearded face remained stoic, but his voice spoke of good cheer. “Your wine and food have not disappointed yet.”
“I’m glad to hear it. It seems your family has misplaced something that I have found and kept unspoiled for you.
“And what is that?” the king asked.
“I present you Tamar Zedek.”
Tami emerged from her room to Jace’s right up on the balcony, and everyone looked as two male escorts guided her along the railing and down the stairs. She was breathtakingly beautiful and looked just as Jace remembered her from his trip to the Gilded Swan. Her skin tone suggested Hawaiian or South Pacific heritage, with long, slender limbs. Instead of the expected black hair, hers was a deep red that reminded Jace of an apple bursting with flavor. Seashell earrings glittered beside her face with a double thick string of pearls resting on her exposed collarbone. She wore a dazzling silver gown over her slim figure that resembled a thousand tiny fish scales tightly woven around her. Slender straps over her shoulders held up the dress, and the bottom hem fell just past her knees.
“Princess Tamar,” Dalmar continued, “is the only heir of King Melchi, the former King of Timnah. She is the future queen of her people and only awaits a noble merman of royal blood.”
Tami walked down the stairs slowly, eyeing the massive gathering before her. With so many faces to take in, she could only scan the crowd, but when her eyes met Wallice, she hesitated. The mermaid was wise enough not to break stride and reveal her recognition and only lingered her gaze on the paladin for a moment. Then her eyes met Esther’s, and the fake smile she had plastered on her face turned genuine. She finished the descent in a flourish and stood at the foot of the table just off Jace’s right shoulder.
King Neptudah stood and bowed slightly at her entrance. The rest of the table followed suit and sat back down. The king remained standing. “I know who this is,” he said in an even tone. “I knew her father and was greatly saddened to hear of his sickness and untimely passing. I readily agreed to give her my oldest son as a mate. But I understand that the union did not go as planned.”
“Your oldest was lost,” Dalmar clarified, leaving his true fate vague on purpose. “The honor passed to Onan, but I regret to inform you he has fallen in with pirates and has neglected his duty.”
“Has he?” Neptudah questioned, a scowl finally breaking through his placid visage. “And what proof of this do you have?”
Dalmar looked toward Tami and nodded. She didn’t return his look; instead, she looked down at Wallace and then at Esther. Her eyes eventually found the half-orc between them, and the clever mermaid figured out who he must be. Jace smiled at her and nodded slightly for her to speak the truth.
“He visited me while I lived at the Gilded Swan,” Tami said, looking up to address the king at the far end of the table. “Onan sailed with the pirate Captain Cloudspark. I kept my identity secret from him, wishing to know his true intentions. Was he now a brigand, or was he being held against his will, the pirates keeping him from me? From all I could see, he had joined them willingly and was second in command on the ship. I did not seek union with him, but he tried to force himself upon me. He was unsuccessful.”
“And he sails with Cloudspark still,” Dalmar added, picking up the story. “Do you know of this mage?”
“I do not,” the king said. Jace could see he was forcibly holding his tongue until the captain had said all he intended.
“He is a mighty storm mage,” Dalmer explained, “unbeaten upon the seas and a terror to honest merchants like yourself. That your son has fallen in with him and neglected his duty is truly a tragedy, but I am not only a bearer of bad news. Just this evening, our other honored guests, Sir Wallace Wilhelm and his party, have stolen the source of Cloudspark’s power, The Eye of the Storm, leaving him weak and vulnerable.”
Dalmar paused for effect. “So I offer you this,” he continued. “Take Tamar as your mate. By her, you would sire a thousand merfolk, all as mighty as you. Though they will be citizens of her kingdom, they will hold allegiance to you as their kingly sire. You can unite two powerful kingdoms, and with your vast army, you will put an end to Cloudspark’s reign of terror and recover your lost son.” That was the end of his offer, and Dalmar waited for a response.
The king let silence reign for several uncomfortable seconds. “That is why you have summoned me?” he asked. Jace found it interesting the king used the word “Summoned” instead of “Invited” and wasn’t surprised by what followed. “To offer me the whore who killed my oldest son and rejected my next? And in exchange for this excellent gift, I am to . . . what? Kill your closest rival, who is too powerful for your meager crew?”
“N-no, that is n-not it at all,” Dalmar replied, stuttering over his words. It looked like he was trying to compose a better response, but the king cut him off.
“You’ve had your chance,” Neptudah said. “It is my turn to speak.” He looked up at Tamar. “I know of the Gilded Swan. If you worked there in the past, it would have been under a fen witch named Jezebel. A disgusting swamp hag who sucked the life out of her victims. Victims you would have fed to her. I am glad you rejected my son, or else he would be dead too. And I have no idea how you would have recognized him amongst the thousands of other drunken sailors you must have bed. But I tell you, he was never there. He sails with a spice merchant trading along a coast far from here.”
The king turned to the older mermaid and nodded. She stood from the table, waved her hands, and released a powerful blast of mana above the table's center. Everyone leaned back in caution as a sphere of water materialized three feet across. The liquid coalesced in the bottom half of the ball as ocean waves, and the image of a ship appeared above, sailing under the night sky.
“My son is on that ship,” Neptudah said, pointing at the complex illusion. “I have asked my mage to check in on him often, and he has never been elsewhere.” He turned to the elder mermaid. “Thank you, Cecilia.”
As the image disappeared and the mermaid sat, Jace swallowed hard. He knew Onan was a captive of Psycho right now. Cecilia was lying to her king about his son. What did that mean?
“You are wrong,” Dalmar said.
“No, captain, it is you who are wrong. Wrong to think I would want this lying . . .” he pointed at Tami, “this lying carp, this bottom-feeding succubus. Wrong to think I care about some pirate sailing above my home. Why should I kill him for you? So you can take his place? Why would your piracy be any better than his?”
“I. . . uh . . .” Dalmar didn’t have an answer.
“I can tell you it won’t.” He turned to another mermaid sitting on the other side. “Estancia,” he addressed her and nodded.
The female wore priestly clothing, and as she rose to cast Dispel toward the side of the room, Jace felt confident in his assessment of her class. Two diminutive, cloaked figures had been hidden with an invisibility spell between a pair of merfolk guards. They stepped forward now and pulled back their hoods. They were halfling children, their faces scarred and burnt.
“Before I answered your summons,” Neptudah said, “I stopped to visit the village of Weaverton, a trading partner of mine for decades. The town was destroyed, and only these two children survived. As I pulled into your abysmal shore, they were able to identify your ship as the one that burned their village and slaughtered their people. I have never come across any victims of this supposed Cloudspark. He can remain. It is you who must go.”
At the threat, Dalmar and his pirates retreated from the table. Since they sat every other with the merfolk, they were instantly surrounded. “Kill the pirates,” Neptudah commanded. “And kill the sea wench. If my son doesn’t want her, then let her kingdom die with her father.”
The room erupted.
