Vuroth's Tear: Even the Gods Cry

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Kass dropped off of Resh's back and knelt on the ground, running his hands through the grass, clearly relieved to be back on solid ground.

Aven chuckled to himself, "What are you gonna do when we are on a ship in the middle of the sea?" He shook his head when he saw the look of terror on Kass' face, clearly the thought hadn't crossed his mind.

Velana took the bag from Donovan and pulled out her leather pants and fur vest, then tossed the bag to Resh, "I thought it would be best if Resh and I didn't walk through town naked."

Donovan shook his head, "It really is a shame to cover up a body like that."

Without a moment's hesitation, Resh spoke up, "Well, you can see it any time you want, just ask me," He jokingly winked at Donovan and laughed at the reaction he got.

Aven pulled his hood up onto his head, "Let's go. We need to find a boat that will take us to Drabin, I dunno how people will react to Lycans here so let's just keep that to ourselves."

Aven led the way into town, the streets were almost completely deserted as they walked. What few people were there seemed uneasy to see strangers walking down the street of their home. The main road led to the docks which had three small ships floating on the waves.

A woman cautiously walked by and Aven politely stopped her, "Excuse me, where could I find the captain of one of those ships?"

Nervously, she pointed to a building, "That's the inn and pub, you should be able to find someone there."

Aven tried to thank her but she scurried off before he could speak. He shrugged and they continued down the street, stopping and turning to the others outside the door of the inn.

"Don and I will go in alone. He and I have experience with these types of people," Aven grinned, "we won't be long."

Aven didn't give them the option to argue, he opened the door and Donovan followed him inside. They moved directly to the bar and Donovan sat on the only empty stool. Aven stood with his sword in his left hand, looking around at the people that stared at him and Donovan. He realized that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room almost instantly and everything seemed brighter than the few small lanterns could cause.

Donovan slammed his hand down on the polished counter to get the attention of the man serving his customers, "Hey, two over here!" He shouted over the crowd. The man smiled and nodded before grabbing and filling two mugs. He set them down in front of Donovan and reached for the silver coin left as payment.

Aven grabbed his wrist, "I need a captain willing to bring us and a few others across the sea, know anyone we can talk to?"

The man pulled his hand back, "You're asking the wrong person. I hand out the drinks, not travel opportunities."

A man with a long scar running down his face, deforming the left corner of his mouth into a permanent scowl grabbed Aven and looked at the bartender, "Riche, is everything alright here?"

"Yeah, Crah, just see them outside," said Riche with a wave of his hand.

Aven looked at The man's hand gripping his arm and then looked at Donovan with a raised eyebrow, "Why does this feel so familiar?"

Donovan grinned and put the mug to his lips, he took a long sip and sighed, "We've been in this situation before," He looked at Crah, "it didn't end well for them. You look like a man who's fond of his hand so I suggest letting him go, we only want information and we will be on our way."

He was a big man, but Crah wasn't a fool, he listened to Donovan but wore a scowl, "Information about what?" He barked back.

Donovan could see the glow of Aven's eyes under the hood, he wondered if anybody else saw it. Aven cleared his throat and looked around the room, "Listen up, we need a ride across the sea. My friend and I, and three others."

The place exploded with laughter and shouts of profanities. Aven was getting irritated, it took everything he had not to cut down that neanderthal that grabbed him. Finally, the room quieted down, Aven looked over the crowd with his grip getting tighter and tighter on Quicksilver's sheath.

"If you can be useful, you can cross with me and my crew," An old man sitting near the door looked at Aven. His left hand was missing and so were a few of his teeth when he smiled, "We leave in three days. My ship is docked all the way to the left. Be there at dawn tomorrow to help us prepare or find another ride."

Aven approached him, "Thank you, sir. My name is Aven, this is Donovan. I'll introduce the others to you in the morning."

"Well, Aven. My name is Carter, but you can just call me Cap or Captain, everyone else does," He offered his only hand and grinned.

Aven and Donovan thanked him again before returning outside. Velana and Resh stood with their backs against the wall, Resh kept scratching and pulling at his pants, he wasn't used to wearing anything at all and was clearly uncomfortable. Kass was sitting on the ground with his hawk, Dawn, standing on his arm.

"We have a ride across but we need to wait a few days to leave," Aven spoke, "But we have to help them prepare for the journey. We have to be on the ship at dawn tomorrow."

"I don't like the town, can we stay in the woods until we leave?" Resh asked, itching at his chest.