"Is this legal?" Solifan the wizard eyed the runes on the barge's hull warily.
"Does it matter?" Aldor grinned and climbed onto the deck of the boat. "I told you I'd get you to Dimkarat as fast as I could."
"I see some things have not changed, old friend." Solifan sighed and followed. The barge was small and looked rickety, with rough wood and patched sails. Parts of the railing were markedly newer than the rest of the boat, but everything was covered in runes. Solifan's eyes began to glow as he peered beyond the surface of this reality. He had expected to see power in the runes but had to concentrate to even see a dim outline of something.
"SO not legal." he murmured and got immediately shushed by Albor.
"We're here to make a friend." Albor whispered as he bowed down and knocked on the hatch leading under deck.
A few moments later the hatch flew open, and a freckled head with a wild, black mane and very skeptical eyes appeared. The eyes gave Solifan and Aldor a quick once-over and turned from skeptical to some kind of friendly. Like a friendly shark.
"Captain Jokham welcomes you aboard the 'Shooting Star'." The captain exclaimed as she climbed out of the hatch and hugged Aldor, then tried to do the same to Solifan, who took a step back.
"We need to get to Dimkarat." Solifan said.
"Aaaah, sure, maybe two weeks, if the winds are good." Captain Jokham started tallying on her fingers. "Food, water, a weather prophecy, then maybe a weather-soother, Schnaps..."
"Fast." Aldor interrupted, then started speaking in a language Solifan did not understand, a lot of soft words, rounded by the churning of water and steady winds but able to pierce the cacophony of a storm. Captain Jokham listened, startled, and then changed. Her smile grew genuine, her posture relaxed.
"Fast." she said. Not a promise, but a fact. Then she handed Aldor back his purse.
#writing #microfiction #smallstories #tootfic #fantasy
