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	The Charts. Waking Siltar.
	Things weren't as simple as they should have been. Kruk stumbled around in the dark so much that Isar slapped him - trying to get the stealthy Kruk back- whilst ordering Oswyn to get a torch. "Fool!" He scalded the mate. "We have to be careful, I doubt that Hempt has his charts unguarded and we could hang for this! Where's your stealth?" "Sorry, Sir." Kruk grumbled. The room Kelleen had told them about was locked, but not guarded as Isar had expected. He set a hand to the cold stone wall, as if feeling for something. Oswyn was slowly creeping up behind him on the wooden floorboards, doing the same. "We'll pick the lock. Bashing the door down will announce that we're here. Oswyn you do it, quickly and quietly. Kruk stand guard, I'll hold the torch." Oswyn passed the torch to Isar, retrieving the small blade he carried to pick the lock. It was a very complex lock. Isar's face flickered behind the amber, flickering flames. Shadows danced around them. "Come on, Oswyn, why won't it unlock?" "It's a cleverly made lock, Captain. Hempt isn't foolish. This lock was designed to keep thieves out. The key for this must look very strange…" The navigator started at the steel lock, fiddling around. Eventually something clicked. "Ah!" He exclaimed happily, before turning to his Captain. "We're in." "Well it's about time! Oswyn look to the right of the room, Kruk with me to the left. I want that chest." Isar looked at the two pirates hungrily. Kruk enthusiastically entered the room, very keen to find something. "Captain," Oswyn whispered. "This is a chamber for scrolls, not for horde." "It cannot be that simple, check the table." Isar moved the torch towards the small table, that looked as if it were used regularly for studying. Oswyn's face looked sallow in the firelight, whereas Kruk seemed to loom over Isar. The Captain darted away from them both, searching. "Charts!" Oswyn declared. "Charts!" He repeated. "For what?" Isar demanded, joining Oswyn. "The Lokli Sea, Sir. There are some markings here beneath… Kona." He finished lamely. "Kelleen assumed we were pirates and pirates want treasure maps. What about the chest?" Isar sounded so childish Oswyn was stunned into silence. "Captain, I don't know if you know, but Kona is one of the most magical islands in Vor'Floxia. A ship was sent there once, completely wrecked by one of the Lokli Sea's storms. Perhaps the chest is there." Said Oswyn eventually, his knowledge being useful for once. "But Kona?" Kruk hissed. "Dragons, they live there, and as our shipmate kindly told us, the Lokli Sea has some fierce storms! Not a good idea to sail those waters, Cap'n." "Oh please Kruk! No more dragon nonsense. You're just as bad as the crew. Oswyn, I think you're right. The Lokli Sea would be a fine place for a hull to be hiding a chest. We should go, before we're discovered," Isar seemed pleased all over again, but Oswyn knew his Captain. He wanted direct treasure, not a map showing him where he might find it. Oswyn gathered the charts in his arms to follow his shipmates out of the manor. "I doubt that Kelleen will manage to keep her mouth shut come morning. We'll have to sail at dawn," Isar decided as they walked down the dainty cobbled path where they had held Kelleen down with a blade. It was a relief to have the light of stars on them, the cool night breeze on them, rather than the suffocating darkness in Hempt's manor, the dizzying flames confusing their eyes. Oswyn sighed. "Captain, you don't give the men long enough ashore. They shan't be too happy to leave, again, earlier than they were first told." Kruk protested as they headed into the main part of Jeilk. It was quiet as they approached, though the taverns would be lively still. "Kruk, you're the first mate. As strong and bloodthirsty a pirate commander you may be, you're not Captain and you don't have the Captain's intelligence. We sail at dawn." Isar finished that. Kruk nodded. At the first tavern they entered they were told Siltar was using one of the rooms. "With a lady, no doubt?" Isar smiled at the bar maid. "I suspect so. Kind sir what is your name? I'll tell him you came by," The lady smiled back. She had blue eyes and dark curly black hair. "Tell him his Captain wants him. You need to know no more than that, sweet bar maid. Good night." Kruk grinned at her before he left, but she scowled. Isar had known not to trust her, and she knew that he knew. "Siltar is in there, I don't doubt that some of the others are. Oswyn go to the ship, stay in my quarters until I get there. Alert any men on board that we sail at dawn, tell them to prepare the ship. Kruk and I shall find the others." As quickly as Isar could manage, he and Kruk darted in and out of inns, rallying the drunken men. None of them were pleased. They grumbled and groaned and a couple even brought their mugs of drink with them. "Move you drunken bilge rats! Get to the ship and sober up!" Isar snapped. Kruk gave them all a stern look, but he understood how they felt. There was one more tavern, and Isar was not welcome there. "A sober man wandering at this hour? Avoiding somebody? Up to something? Nay, I don't deal with miscreants such as yourselves, out, both of you." A bearded man told them. "It'll do us no good to cause a fuss, we're keeping a low profile, Kruk," Isar reminded the first mate as he raised his blade. "I doubt he let any of our crew in. We'll go back to that nice lady from earlier, and wake Siltar." "Oh. You again. Will ye be wanting my services?" She looked disgruntled. "Nay - just Siltar please." The lady looked at Kruk, whose jaw was set firmly, mouth shut. He was getting tired of wandering the town like a predator, or an outcast, searching in the dull taverns. He wanted to get back to 'The Remorseless'. "I don't reckon 'e'll enjoy being disturbed at this hour, but 'e's on the very top floor, the room on the left." "Oh he'll enjoy it…" Isar answered tiredly, going to the hallway and up the wooden steps. The room was easy to find. Siltar was sleeping, his hands splayed across the bare back of a whore. "Siltar!" Isar hissed, not holding back any distaste in his voice for the situation. "Siltar!" Kruk shouted. The man stirred, his blonde hair hanging limply over his eyes. He pushed it away, only to have it fall back. "Captain?" He yawned. The blonde-haired woman stirred. "Aye, Siltar, it's Isar! Get up, you lousy lubber, UP!" Siltar gasped. "Captain" I…She…We…" He sat up, waking the woman. Her eyes met Kruk's and she blushed. "What's going on?" She whispered, hiding herself with the blanket, horrified. "Be silent!" Isar bade them. "Just listen, Siltar. You need to get to the ship, are the others here?" "Some, sir." Siltar's voice was thick and it was hard to hear him. He was so embarrassed. "I'll be down in a moment." By down, he meant down in the main area of the inn. "Of course you will. We'll be waiting, so hurry up." Isar realised that Siltar felt ashamed to be so obedient and obviously not in control in front of the whore. Knowing Siltar, Isar presumed the second mate had probably spun some story about greatness to get her attention. Isar left the room, expecting Kruk to follow. Siltar just wished he was dreaming. His cheeks burned with shame. "Kruk, most of our men will be on the second floor," Siltar told the first mate before the door closed. "You can stay in the bed, Rose." He told the whore, who mumbled something angrily and rolled over to go back to sleep, without revealing even an inch of her body, she had wrapped herself up so expertly. Siltar watched her with interest for a moment when he had dressed. Before he left the room, he kissed her forehead. She gasped, and smiled as his hand touched her soft cheek. "Goodbye." He whispered, and left as his Captain had done. "You promised us a few days!" Siltar dared to look the Captain in the eye. "If you'd like to stay for longer, you can. I don't know when we'll make port here again, though." Isar offered sardonically. "I don't recall promising anything." "Sorry, Captain," Siltar bowed his head. "I'll be as keen as a kelp come morning." He promised, tying his red neck scarf around him. Kruk joined them with a few other half-asleep pirates. They were muttering things about days and being tired. The bar maid watched them curiously. "Shut up, the lot of you!" Isar rebuked them. "I said we might need to leave quickly, and we do. You can sleep aboard the ship for a couple of hours. We sail at dawn." He added more quietly, noticing the maid. "We've been ashore but a few hours, Captain, this ain't good for morale." Siltar saw fit to enlighten him. Again. "Siltar," The Captain addressed him kindly. "I don't give a rat's ass how long we've been ashore, and you need to stop giving your opnion where it isn't needed!" He finished bitterly. * * *
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