Chapter 25
Though there was a moment when I feared the worst would happen, Helgavinda had kept her word. After all, a deal was a deal. True to the terms of the trade, we left through an opening behind her crystal Menagerie. We no longer had the Torch of the Revealer’s Flame in our possession, but we had Sierra back with our Band, and we had picked up an additional companion as well.
“No one has ever done anything like that for me before,” Wopper said, bounding up the stone staircase beside me. The dwarf had a definite skip to his step, and despite his stumpy legs, he seemed to be having no trouble keeping up with the rest of us. “I was most surprised, most surprised, indeed, and your kindness shall not go unpaid. I owe you, my friends, and I shall happily return the favor.”
“Is he ever going to shut up?” Jasmine asked.
It definitely seemed as though Wopper could talk forever.
“I heard what you told the others,” Sierra said. “Thank you for believing in me, Lucas. I promise I won’t let you down.”
“You don’t have to promise me anything,” I replied, with an awkward smile. “We’re the ones who owe you an apology.”
We had treated Sierra like dirt for most of our Quest, and I was sorry to admit it, but we had come dangerously close to turning our backs on her as well. I would not let that happen again.
The darkness began to recede the farther we climbed until we finally reached a doorway at the end of the rocky corridor and stepped out beneath a wet mound of sand and piled stones. We had made it outside onto the beach, and I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders, knowing we were no longer trapped thousands of feet beneath the ground. Not only that, but despite what had felt like an endless tumble beneath the dungeons, we could see the city of Dunedaveen within walking distance. We were right back where we had started the night before, and it didn’t take us long to discover the Runaway Drogue. Raspaard’s ship was still anchored in the harbor. He had not yet departed for the Abysmal, which meant we still had time. For once during this Quest, it seemed as though luck was actually on our side.
Creeping along quietly, we stayed ready for an attack, but though we could hear the groaning sounds of masts and sails and rigging filling the early morning air and could see sailors aboard, hauling planks, crates, and buckets, we didn’t spot a single member of Raspaard’s Nightmare Legion lurking anywhere around the harbor.
The four of us and Wopper took cover in an alleyway just off the main courtyard where Raspaard had made his grand announcement. I could still see talon marks where the wyverns had torn up the wooden walkway and banners lying in tattered heaps that been ripped from the balconies. More and more people were out now, clearing the wreckage, including the shriveled beanstalks that Sierra had grown with her Spade to collapse the stage. Everyone was acting as though things had returned to normal, but there was an odd vibe in the courtyard air. Where was Raspaard? And where were all his monsters?
“Do you think they’ve all turned invisible again?” Miles asked, peering out from the alley.
“Raspaard will have returned to his hideout to await the coming night,” Wopper muttered.
Raspaard may have been powerful, but at least we knew he still had a weakness. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of taking on a vampire with an entire army of hideous monsters at his command, but I had to believe we had been given a small window of opportunity. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and for the first time since starting this Quest, I felt something strange—hope. We had a chance of winning this thing.
“Hey, Wopper, do you remember how you said you owed us a favor?” I asked.
Wopper gave me a vigorous nod. “I do, and I meant every word of it. A smuggler’s word is the greatest bond in the Lower Etchlands,” he said, puffing out his chest proudly. “What shall it be, friend? What can Wopper do for you?”
“We need you to get us aboard that ship without Raspaard finding out,” I said.
The monsters may have been hidden for now, but that didn’t mean it was going to be easy. We needed to sneak by unnoticed for as long as possible, but as a Band of Champions we kind of stood out in a crowd. Maybe it was our clothes or our weapons, or maybe people knew about us simply because the game had made us into Champions.
“The Runaway Drogue?” Wopper stroked his beard. “I feel inclined to warn you that even though he might fear the sunlight, you’d be a fool to believe Raspaard will be asleep on that boat.”
“We understand,” I said, exhaling slowly. I looked at Jasmine, and she nodded in agreement. Raspaard was the main reason for our Quest, and we had to stop him somehow.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Wopper said. Eyes narrowing with determination, he started backing out of the alley. “Stay here and stay out of sight.”
Sierra and I handed out the last ration wafers from our Dispensers, and we shuffled down to the end of the alley to hide. Wopper returned an hour later, scuttling in like a crab with a sack thrown over one shoulder.
“Back as promised,” Wopper said, flopping down the heavy sack onto the ground, “and you’re in luck. I’ve been able to procure you a dinghy.”
Miles smirked. “A what?”
“A dinghy. A small rowboat. I might have been able to find a bigger one had I been given more time, but it was the best I could do on such short notice.”
Jasmine looked unimpressed. “You’ve brought us a boat? Where is it?”
“On the beach about a mile north of here,” Wopper said. “Now, don’t you fret. I’ve also brought you this.” He dropped a brass coin into Jasmine’s hand. “That token provides proof of purchase aboard the Runaway Drogue.”
“That’s great,” I said. “So why do we need a dinghy?”
Scratching the scruff of his neck, Wopper lowered his eyes. “Unfortunately, I was only able to get you one token.”
“Only one?” Sierra frowned. “But we need all four of us to be on the ship.”
“I’m aware of that,” he said. “Thus the dinghy. She’s lightweight and seaworthy. Shouldn’t leak too much. What I’m proposing is that while one of you boards the Runaway Drogue as a passenger, the rest of you shall follow behind in the dinghy. Once the coast is clear, our passenger will then cast down a ladder, making a way that you all can climb aboard.”
“But the Runaway Drogue is a massive ship,” I said, already beginning to see plenty of holes in Wopper’s plan. “It’ll be traveling too fast, won’t it? How are we supposed to keep up in a rowboat?”
Wopper’s nose twitched nervously, and he made a face as though he had just tasted something sour. “I am sorry, my friends, but maybe this Quest of yours is too foolhardy to pull off now. If we had more time to think this through, maybe it would be possible, but—”
“It’s okay.” Miles patted the dwarf on the shoulder. “We have a boat, and that’s better than nothing, right?”
“Okay, then, what’s in the bag?” Jasmine asked.
“Ah, yes, I almost forgot that part,” Wopper muttered, perking up slightly. “While Raspaard may be a centaur, he’s not horse-brained. By now, he has discovered his prisoners are missing and shall be expecting you to pop up to oppose him. The Runaway Drogue will depart soon, and it is already beginning to fill up with passengers. With that token, there’s a chance you’ll be able to sneak by the guards, as it has been my experience folks tend not to question the wealthier passengers on board.”
“Wealthier passengers?” I wasn’t following. “Who else is going to be on the boat?”
“Hundreds of Dunedaveen’s finest, I believe. Not to mention a slew of royal upstarts from all over the Lower Etchlands. These are the last days of the Month of the Wavering Moon, and word of Raspaard’s special journey to the Abysmal has spread far and wide.”
“Don’t they know he’s trying to lead his Nightmare Legion across the Abysmal?” Sierra asked.
“Why would they know that? The Drogue isn’t just some trader’s barge. It’s a pleasure cruise,” Wopper said. “I believe Raspaard’s intentions are to fill the cabins with as many innocent bystanders as possible.”
“He’s setting a trap for us, then,” Jasmine said.
“Precisely.” Wopper opened the bag and pulled out several bundles of clothing. “So you will be needing to wear these.”
“That looks like a dress,” I said, frowning at the floral outfit clutched in Wopper’s meaty paw.
“It is,” he agreed, offering the dress and a matching bonnet to Jasmine.
Then he handed me a fancy overcoat with frilly sleeves, silken trousers that gleamed in the sunshine, and a pair of shiny black shoes with golden buckles. The outfit reminded me of something the pilgrims might have worn, and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing as I watched Miles place an oversized top hat on his head only for it to droop down, covering his ears.
“Where did you find all this?” I asked.
“Best not to worry about that,” Wopper said with a wink. “One of the females will need to sneak aboard because the coin I stole for you once belonged to Countess Pretal Pingberry from Port Belvedere who is no longer able to make the journey due to her unfortunate . . . uh . . .”
“Death?” Miles asked grimly.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” Wopper swatted his hand. “I just sunk her to the bottom of a bog.” Sierra looked horrified. “Oh, don’t worry about her,” Wopper added with a snicker. “There are plenty of air bubbles, and I intend to rescue her once the Drogue has set sail.”
“I can’t wear this,” Jasmine said, glowering down at the dress. “How am I supposed to fight when I look ridiculous?”
“The important thing is that you’ll fit in, and anyone who purchased a berth on the Drogue will look like this,” Wopper said. “So if you don’t want to go marching up the gangplank dressed like a Champion and get yourself caught, then you’re going to need to lose the robes. If there are no further requests, should we call ourselves square on the matter?”
Even though it wasn’t exactly the plan we had in mind, I couldn’t think of anything else to ask the dwarf.
“Fair thee well, brave Champions,” Wopper said, dusting his hands together, and then he slipped from the alley and scampered out of sight.
After we each took turns changing into our new costumes down the far end of the alleyway, we gathered back by the barrels. As Jasmine had pointed out earlier, we really did look ridiculous. My silky pants swished noisily as I walked, and the frilly sleeves of my overcoat kept getting snagged on splinters along the rough wooden wall. We had stowed our normal clothing inside our Dispensers, which occupied a surprising amount of inventory slots, and Goon was having a horrible time getting comfortable in my new outfit. He had grumpily taken up residence in the billowy poof beneath my lapel.
“There’s no way this is going to work,” Jasmine grumbled, glaring down at her dress. “I’m just supposed to hand someone this coin, and they’ll let me on, no questions asked?”
“That would be the idea,” I said, with a half-hearted shrug.
“But someone’s bound to recognize her from last night,” Miles said. “Even in those clothes.”
Kibbrick had pointed us out one by one to a whole courtyard filled with people. It would be foolish to think everyone would have forgotten about the incident. In fact, they probably believed we were the ones who brought the Nightmare Legion back to Dunedaveen.
“What we need is a good distraction,” I said.
Sierra jabbed her finger excitedly at Jasmine. “You could totally create a distraction!”
“Me?” Jasmine flinched. “How?”
“With your Spark,” Sierra said. “There’s a song that makes it so someone can pass by unnoticed. I can teach you how to play it!”
Miles nodded enthusiastically. “That’s right! Vanessa almost turned me completely invisible when we faced off with Foyos, and I snuck right beneath him. He never saw me.”
“Except that he did see you, Miles,” Jasmine said. “Remember? And he took off your Medallion, and you instantly turned old.”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that part.” Miles’s smile wilted as that painful memory resurfaced. “This time could be different though,” he said, holding up his index finger. “We’re just trying to sneak you past a whole bunch of normal people. Not a chimera.”
“Even if I could learn a whole song in a few minutes, how am I supposed to play while I’m walking onto the ship?” Jasmine asked, shaking her head.
I could hear her back teeth grinding, and I knew how much Jasmine was struggling. I may have been the so-called Band Leader in Champion’s Quest, but from the beginning it had been easy to see who really led out. Jasmine was stronger and faster, but from the moment she had learned about the swap with Sierra, Jasmine had lost all her confidence. Now, more than ever, we needed her to find her edge again.
“Let me do it,” Sierra said. “I could pretend to be the countess and sneak on board. I even have some rope I can toss down once I get inside my room. That is, if you want me to. But if you don’t think you can trust me with something this important, I’ll totally understand. Honestly, it won’t hurt my feelings.”
We looked at Jasmine, figuring she would be the one who would be the first to object. Heaving a sigh of surrender, Jasmine summoned the Spark from her Dispenser and held it out toward Sierra.
“I think that’s the best idea you’ve had this whole Quest,” Jasmine said, holding her Spark toward Sierra. “Show me what to do.”