| "The Adventures of Kat and Clara" Part XIX: Enlightenment Not but the next day aboard the Covenant did Kat, Clara, and Salem notice a great change of attitude in their captain. Hermione came to respect them entirely, not just for saving her life, but for generally doing the right thing at the right time. That morning, Hermione stood on the deck at the wheel, steering the ship even further towards the Crystal Shores. The wind was rather calm that day, but the weather was perfect for sailing. Kat, Clara, and Salem, in the meanwhile, were adapting nicely to their new duties as Hermione's crew, attending to the raising, lowering, and direction of the many sails. "The wind is wonderful, is it not?" Hermione called out, from the ship's wheel. "Are the lines secured, Salem?" Salem descended the mast once more. "They are tight and secured, Hermione," he called out, landing upon his feet upon the deck. "What else could be done?" "Nothing at all," Hermione called back. "Relax yourself for a while. Aboard my ship, as a crew member, you are entitled to rest at times." I guess she is less tyrannical, Salem thought, sitting down against the mast. Kat and Clara finished securing the sails and went back to the main deck. "All sails are secured, Hermione," Kat said. "Excellent, Guardian Kat," Hermione said. "Did you ever imagine that you would be an honored crew member aboard the Covenant?" "Certainly not," Kat replied. "Nor did any other of us. As Guardians aboard a Trillanian ship, we are always at your service." "We'll reach the Crystal Shores yet," Hermione proclaimed. "Yet, I am still depressed. How horrible I feel that we had to slay my treacherous crew to continue to do so." "I know how you feel, Hermione," Salem said. "But we did what had to be done; we had an obligation to save your life." "That is the price to be paid, I suppose," Hermione sighed. "They will be sorely missed." Hermione turned to Kat. "Kat, would you kindly take the wheel for a moment? I'm going to go put my cape on. It will be cold soon." Kat stood in front of the ship's wheel. "I will do my best," she said, holding the wheel as still as possible. Hermione smiled, then walked to her quarters to don her cape. At that moment, Clara approached the wheel from the bow of the ship. "Hermione left you to steer us?" she asked, confused. "She allowed you to do that?" "I was amazed a little myself," Kat said. "She trusts us a little more now that we saved her life, I suppose." Hermione soon returned to the ships deck, wearing her rust-red leather cape and black leather collar. It was no ordinary collar, however -- not a black belt strap, but instead also an attached drapery of black leather that hung from her neck and covered the top of her back and part of her shoulders. Along the back were six ring clasps that held the bround, ankle-length cape. Hermione had attached the cape and buckled the collar around her neck, leaving the buckle in front. "This is much better," she said, taking the wheel from Kat. "I would be freezing otherwise." "What do you know about the Crystal Shores?" Clara asked. "A great number of people used to live there," Hermione began, "but now it's mostly a wasteland, but a pretty one at that. The coastline is dotted with deposits of crystal growths that spring from the ground like plants. Now only a few people live there, but they have many valuble interests that await us. In fact, I think that they may be able to help you transfer those gems in Queen Ophelia's bracelets into the sword....And, also, there is something that the resident sorcerers can help me with." "What is that, Hermione?" Kat asked. "I am thankful that Barton and his mutinous cohorts didn't get ahold of my prized weaponry," Hermione continued. "Locked away in an undisclosed portion of the ship is a dire flail that I have been trained to fight with periodically in my lifetime. Before I began sailing this ship, I learned to fight with it; it is 13 feet long and could fell an entire company of warriors if controlled properly. But it is no ordinary flail; its spiked weights at its ends are made of solid, glimmering crystal, harvested from the Crystal Shores and carved to perfection. I have not lifted it in a while; I would be amazed at myself if I could still fight with it." "It must weigh quite a bit," Salem said. "It does, indeed," Hermione said. "It probably weighs upwards of 50 or 60 pounds, but it hits hard. Hold the wheel a moment, Kat, while I go get it. I'll show it to you." Kat steered the ship for a few minutes while Hermione went somewhere below the ship to obtain her dire flail. She returned soon, holding the great chain in both hands by its middle, four-foot wooden bar. The two chains attached were made of simple metal, but the final five feet of each chain were linked spiked weights with razor-sharp spikes. The weights were made entirely of precious crystal and became progressively bigger as the chain ended. There were four spikes on each weight, eight inches long and curved at their largest. "What a spectacular weapon!" Kat exclaimed. "How did you obtain this?" "As I have mentioned," Hermione began, "my family is very wealthy. It was given as a gift to me from my parents, when they had it forged at the Crystal Shores a few decades ago, prior to my birth. Then my father trained me to fight with it when I was fourteen or fifteen years old. I used to be able to keep it spinning fast above my head when I trained continuously. But now, I don't even know if I can keep it up. I might injure myself if I tried again in this day and age, maybe worse." "You could always try again and again," Clara said. "Thinks like that take time. Kat and I weren't born with swords in our hands. Neither was Salem." "That's true, I suppose," Hermione said, smiling a bit. "But what is important for me concerning the flail is to have the crystals polished again. They don't have the shine they once did, and only magic can make them burn bright again. They are very skilled at dealing with gems and such; maybe they can help you three with uniting the stones in the bracelets with the hilt of the sword." "Maybe they can also tell us how to find the other half of the blade," Kat added. "That still remains to be found." "I don't know the extent of their knowledge," Hermione said, "but they will be as helpful as they can. For now, let us continue our journey to the Crystal Shores. We could probably arrive by late evening." "I will steer the ship, if you like," Kat said. "You could, in the meantime, relearn the techniques of your flail." Hermione smirked. "That's not a bad idea, Kat," she said. "Take the wheel, then. And you, Clara, and Salem can watch me practice. Pray that I do not injure myself." She then snickered. Kat then took hold of the ship's wheel. "We know you will not," Clara said, sitting down on the ships deck. Salem sat down with her. Next page >> |