At noon, we stopped in Eastguard for lunch, and to stretch our legs. Mine were very sore from the unaccustomed exertion, but Ashton assured me I'd acclimatise. "No one can be an expert overnight," he said, "but I'm sure you'll manage just fine. We've only a couple of hours' ride to go after this, and then we can rest for a bit."
Two hours later, we arrived in the port town of Whitedale, famous for its status as the prime place for trading and gossip. A thousand rumours often berthed ten thousand more, but if you knew the right people, you'd be able to ascertain fact from fiction.
We found Lanny at The Short Dagger, one of the seamier dives in Whitedale, but also the best place to dig for a little truth. Lenny himself held court at the east-facing windows, and his bellow almost shattered them when he spied Ashton. "Whoremonger!" he roared, and I winced as he grabbed Ashton in a ferocious bear-hug which likely cracked our leader's ribs. "Where in the Black Hells have you been?"
Ashton laughed as he extricated himself from Lenny's bruising grasp. "Battling dragons and claiming its horns as spoils."
"Waste of piss," Lanny derided, before subjecting Paradox to an equally crushing bear-hug. Lanlanor got a more restrained but no less hearty slap on the back, while Aisling and Temara were accorded a respectful nod. "And who's this?" Lanny asked, studying me with a keen grey stare.
"This is Fionn O'Kenny," Ashton said. "He's joined our party for a change of pace."
"Huh." Lanny eyed me up and down. "You're skinnier than my grandmother, and probably as useless as a knitting needle in a sword-fight."
I raised an eyebrow, well aware this was a test. "You know what they say about pirates," I said. "Good whilst on deck, and hopeless when on land. I'm surprised your father was able to find his way into your mother's, ah, unmentionables to conceive you."
Lanny broke into uproarious laughter and clapped me on the back. "You're a fucking riot," he said, grinning broadly. "I'll have you any day of the week, and twice on Sundays, you clever bastard."
Having thus passed my trial by fire, Lanny then invited us to join him at his table, and his next bellow summoned two barmaids, who returned with tankards of ale, beer, and a thimble of cold water for Temara. "Where's your misbegotten donkey?" he added, once we were all settled.
"Getting watered out in the stable," Ashton said. "And for the last time, he's not misbegotten, you sot. You're lucky he can't hear you; he'd kick your arse six ways to Sunday, and then twice more just for the hell of it."
"Provided he can move his arse long enough to deliver the kick," Lanny snarked. "Right. Ash, let's cut to the chase. You need me again, don't you?"
"I need you to talk to Byford and Early," Ashton said, dropping his easygoing manner. "You know the three of you can't last much longer going your separate ways. You need to make a formal alliance, or the next time Arundel comes calling, he's going to have the three of you for breakfast, before picking his teeth with the rest of your crews."
Lanny scowled. "You really fight dirty, you bastard," he snarled. "Yes, you're fucking right. As fucking usual. Arundel's swaggered about for the last time, and those two sons-of-bitches have resources I don't have. Fine. Let's get this fucking farce over with."
"It's not a farce," Ailsa cut in.
"Ah, shut your piehole," Lanny snapped. "I fucking hate when Ash is right."
Temara fluttered over and rapped him lightly on the knuckles. "Just drop the pride, you fool," she said. "You know you're better off making a formal alliance between yourself, Byford and Early."
Lanny looked like he wanted to swat her, but in the end, he gave up. "I'm just too bloody stubborn for my own good," he agreed. "Alright. Let's have those whoresons here as soon as can be arranged. Byford's in Pinepost, and Early's holed up in Farminster. But I have to warn you; they're sore over getting their arses kicked by Arundel and his bootlickers over a month ago, and they won't take kindly to sweet reason. You gotta bludgeon them over the head with facts."
Ailsa calmly unlimbered Bonesnapper. "I think I can provide a good bludgeoning if need be," she said sweetly. Lanny shuddered.
"You're a vicious bitch," he said, but his good humour had been restored. "Right. Let's finish our drinks and get this show on the road. Pinepost's closer; we can reach it by tomorrow morning. Once we've bludgeoned Byford into submission, we'll sail over to Farminster and get Early to see some bloody sense. After that, we sail back to the Isle of Voices and have us a proper moot. We agreed?"
"We're agreed," Ashton said, and we echoed his sentiment.
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Two days later, we sailed into the cove from which the Isle of Voice rose like a king on his mountain throne. The island was actually the site of an extinct volcano, and most of its rugged surface was deep underwater. The shattered cone of the volcano stood out for miles around, and was a prominent landmark many captains - honest and otherwise - sighted when they wished to get their bearings.
The island itself was lush with a thriving rainforest and lagoons scattered like sapphires throughout. They were all connected by tunnels and caves which housed the ever-growing plunder Lanny and his immediate allies brought back. New tunnels and caves were being dug all the time, with the bedrock of the island proving surprisingly easy to dig. "It's a bitch of a place to get to," Lanny explained, as we dropped anchor. Byford's and Early's ships hove in behind us, and as tenders were put out, he qualified. "But it's damn easy to navigate once you're there." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I ought to blindfold you," he said to me. "But I'm not going to. Instead, I ask your formal word you won't memorise our tunnel network."
"I promise you, on the life of my mother, and the mother who birthed her, that I shall not memorise your network," I said. "If you doubt me, I submit to your judgement and agree to be blindfolded until we come to a safe place where I can be trusted not to remember how we got there."
Lanny raised an eyebrow. "That won't be necessary," he told me. "The same promise doesn't extend to the rest of the island, so you're free to have the run of the place."
I bowed. "I thank you for your kindness," I said.
Lanny nodded, sober as he offered his hand in amity. "I don't know damn about you," he said, "but you seem to be a good man, and Ashton thinks you're worth piss. I've known Ashton for long enough to know his judgement is sound, and if he trusts you, then so do I."
Ashton nodded. "I trust him wholeheartedly," he said, and I smiled, touched by his kindness.
"Alright, that's good enough for me," Lanny said, before leaning over the rail and haranguing the tenders which had just arrived. "The fuck you call that? Is it that your grandmothers taught you how to row? I've never seen a more incompetent bunch of dolts in my life! If you're this laggard when rowing tenders, how the fuck do you think...?" The rest of his tirade was lost as we went back belowdecks to gather our belongings, and I had to chuckle to myself. Lanny was probably as mad as the legends made him out to be, but there was no doubt he had a true and honest heart.
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