Page 21 of Potions & Pints
“Looks like your pet is happy,” Pili said.
Tan turned back to him.
“Can you just…stop?” Tan said.
“I don’t like orcs.” Pili sneered. “Or you.”
“Fine, you don’t like me. But leave Vir alone.”
“Fine, I’ll leave your pet alone.”
Tan grumbled under his breath and went to his position on the fore mast. Ordinarily his hands would probably be blistered by now, if not bleeding. He’d lost most of his calluses working in the tavern. But Vir did all the pulling on the ropes. It was pointless for Tan to try to help them, even though usually it would be a job for two, if not three or four men.
The first mate came down to inspect their work. Vir had tied one of the ropes incorrectly and the first mate did not mince words about it. The man stood guard when they swung the boom again.
“Like this?” Vir asked.
Tan was pleased to see the orc had followed the instructions. Once they had the captain and the first mate’s complete confidence, maybe they would be left alone. Which meant Tan wouldn’t have to do much of anything for the rest of the voyage.
“Good,” the first mate said, as he inspected Vir’s work.
Tan wouldn’t have bet any money on it, but he thought maybe the corners of the man’s mouth went up ever so slightly.
Night fell and so did the strong wind. Vir refused to leave his post by the boom. Tan lay down on the deck resolving to go below once the stars came out. There was nothing like that first night at sea under the stars.
Vir began to sing. His voice was loud. The rich deepness of his tone seemed to reverberate in Tan’s bones. The song was beautiful and sad.
It spoke of an elf who had lost his love, through no fault of his own. A terrible spell had been cast and, unable to bear what he was sure to be rejection, the elf had sworn his family members to tell everyone he had died. When his beloved fell into a deep depression, his family shipped him off to another village, far away, hopeful that a fresh start would bring him respite from his grief.
The last stanza soared. Vir sang of hope and his certainty that one day he would find a way to break the spell and find him. Then they would be together again.
Tan decided to sleep out under the stars. To rid himself of the increasing feeling of dread, he would concentrate on Vir’s belief that everything would be alright. It almost worked.
10
Tan stared around at the faces staring back at him across the small table set up below deck before glancing back down at the cards in his hand. One of the orcs — Garu, Tan had learnt — was eagerly awaiting the next play, evidently confident that his hand was the winning one. But Tan knew that was unlikely. Not the way he played cards.
The other two orcs, Sori and Ogen, wore the disappointment of their own cards on their faces, and Vir appeared to be there just for the fun of it, smiling at everything and everyone, as usual. Pili was the only other shrewd card player in the bunch, but even he was no match for Tan.
There wasn’t much to gamble with on the ship so this was just a friendly game of staken, but Tan couldn’t help but cheat. It was in his nature. And besides, it made the game more fun, at least for him.
He’d been surreptitiously marking high cards every time they passed through his hand and so far he’d been getting away with it, even if Pili was giving him dirty looks. As long as the water elf didn’t say anything, Tan was happy to keep playing the way he always had. It was paying off.
“I call staken,” Tan announced, laying down a final card. The rest of the table groaned. Another game won, even if it was by questionable means. Vir smiled at him from across the table and Tan couldn’t help but grin back, even if he did feel a little bit guilty for fooling the orc.
“Alright, I’m going for lunch,” said Garu, the eager smile wiped clean off his face. “I’m sick of losing.”
He grumbled up the stairs as Pili collected and put away the deck.
“I remember why I never played cards with you the last time you visited the water elves at Gamlin Ait,” Pili quipped, giving Tan a good-natured smirk.
“Of course,” Tan replied, grinning. “Because the cards would get too soggy.”
This elicited a good laugh, even from Pili, as they cleared up and headed to the galley.
Tan was almost starting to enjoy himself on the ship, as long as he didn’t think too much about their dreadful destination and what they’d have to pass through to get there.
That all changed after lunch that afternoon.
