[SoR] Distant Tides: A Bit of Luck

Ozan sank into the tavern chair, wearied from a day of walking. In the first bit of luck that day, he’d managed to snag a table near the fire. The warmth made it hard to keep his eyes open, even after he’d ordered his dinner and the smell of food wafted enticingly towards him.

He leaned forward and forced himself to pick at the food, recounting the day’s events in his head. Why hadn’t he considered earlier that with rumours of a giant, aggressive sea monster going around, sailors would be resistant to travel to the Reamere? He and Usta had spent the day wandering Sol’s ports, asking anyone who even remotely looked like a captain if they knew anyone headed that way, but it appeared that even after having collected the supplies they needed, there was yet another—more important—obstacle in the way.

If it weren’t the ocean, he might have considered flying there on Usta’s back. She was strong, and he was quite sure they could handle a few days of solitary travel. But over open water, with nowhere to land if things went wrong? That wasn’t something he wanted to risk.

Usta hadn’t seemed to care too much for their lack of success. The stryx was as unflappable as ever, and for the most part, just looked like she was enjoying the breeze off the river and the chance to be outdoors all day. But then, she was built for that, wasn’t she? Ozan was sure her feet didn’t feel like someone had dropped a brick on them from standing all day.

Ozan flinched at the sound of the chair opposite his being pulled out with a screech, and found himself face-to-face with a bearded man peering at him from across the table. Judging by the way he dressed and his creased, weathered face, he was a captain—an old one at that. He set down his spoon to regard the stranger with a mix of unease and hope.

“Captain Wayre, pleased to make your acquaintance,” the man held out his hand, and Ozan never would have been so rude to ignore that, before continuing, “heard you was looking for someone”—he paused midsentence to call out to one of the waiters for food—“to take you out to the Reamere?” 

“Where’d you hear that?”

“Folks at the docks love to talk, especially when a young man comes by with a big bird and an odd request.” Wayre grinned crookedly, “so, was that you?”

Ozan nodded.

“Excellent,” the man clapped his hands together delightedly, “I’ve got a ship—the Nullarbor, she’s lovely—due to leave tomorrow. Can’t help but be curious about all this fuss over some beastie, you know? If it’s as large as they say, I’d bet there’d be plenty of folks keen on reading about it.” Wayre frowned, “course, the crew’s… well, you know how sailors can be. Superstitious lot. I’m missing a few hands, and you’ve got a birdie! Some eyes in the sky would be useful for a job like this, don’t you think? And I’m happy to pay you for your work, of course.”

He nodded again, stirring his soup absently as he considered the man’s offer. He wasn’t likely to get a better one, and being offered payment for a ride instead of having to bribe someone into ferrying him into the Reamere was a lucky break.

He wasn’t destitute—his family had arranged for him to have enough funds to last him for the trip in Sol—but there was only so much money he had access to, and Marcen was months away. No one would be coming to help him if he managed things badly… and he knew very well how bad that would look to his father.

“That sounds like a good plan.” He didn’t have the slightest clue on how to be helpful on a ship, but providing ‘eyes in the sky’ was something he and Usta were more than competent at.

“Excellent!” Wayre grabbed Ozan’s hand and shook it vigorously, “it’s a deal, then. How about I show you the Nullarbor after we’ve both eaten?”

Ozan nodded and turned back to his own meal. It had long grown cold, but it wasn’t so bad now that he had a plan to get himself and Usta to the sea.

…

The deep blue of the ocean surface expanded outwards as far as the eye could see. If at that moment you told him that there was no land left in the world, Ozan might have almost believed it. The sky was clear, cloudless, and a brilliant shade of blue.

It had been a few days since he and Usta had departed Sol with the Nullarbor, and they had finally reached the Reamere. The only sound, aside from the shouts of the crew, were the ropes creaking, the sails straining in the wind like immense wings, and the constant sound of the waves.

For his part, he was glad they’d both spent a few months aboard a ship not so long ago; this wasn’t nearly as bad as that experience. Beside him, Usta seemed very relaxed; her brown feathers smoothed back by the wind and her blue eyes half-shut as she took in the sights and smells of the ocean.

It was moments like this that reminded Ozan of what harpias were—large predators who feasted upon the bounty of the sea, sharp talons and curved beaks all well-honed tools of the hunt. It was a wonder that humans had ever managed to tame the creatures.

He did not immediately notice the way the waves surrounding the Nullarbor started to grow, but Usta did, her serenity broken as her feathers began to bristle in alarm.

“What’s wrong, girl?”

A high, shrill cry escaped her beak, and all around them the sounds of the crew working ceased as they all turned to look at the alarmed harpia.

Ozan followed her gaze out into the ocean, confused at what had startled her—

And then he saw it.

The small, dark shapes of fish fluttered by around the ship. Beyond, a dark—mass cut through the water at an alarming speed, followed by a deep, rumbling cry that Ozan could feel shaking the ship.

Well. It seems as though we’ve found the monster. Around him the ship’s crew breaks back into their work in a panic, cries of alarm breaking out before Captain Wayre’s shouting calms them. Already moving, Ozan grabs Usta’s tack—the very smallest bit of it he needs to get into the air—and climbed onto her back.

If they stay on the ship, they’ll just be in the way. And if Usta got swept into the ocean, the weight of her waterlogged feathers would drag her below the surface, and he doubted anyone on the ship would be able to save her, distracted as they were by the sea monster.

Usta kicked off, shrieking again, and beat her wings hard to catch an updraft.

Above it all, Ozan’s heart sank in his chest as he took in the magnitude of the creature approaching the Nullarbor. It almost didn’t seem possible—but the shortage of fish made sense, now.

Hopefully, it hadn’t gotten desperate enough to seek out other prey. Ozan rested one hand on Usta’s shoulder and watched the happenings below, waiting for some opportunity for them to help the crew they had only so recently become acquainted with…