Day 275 (253)((243))

Day 275 (253)((243)):
I was not sure why I awoke until I heard a gagging noise. With Set's aid, I found Callie hunched over a basin in the dark. Set curled protectively around her to support her as she heaved again.
"I am so sorry for waking you. Ships do not agree with me," she told me mentally as she bent over the basin.
"Callie, there is no need for apology. I would be a poor sister and friend if I got angry because you are ill."
Set helped her to stand and let her lean on him to get back to the bunk. Sarah met us and took over her care. Dawn, Bo, and Set formed ranks around them. I dozed lightly until sunrise. Sarah let us all know Callie only slept as the magic healed her. Hector knocked and told us through the door where to get our meal. Our companions remained with Callie so she would not wake alone and frightened.
We went to the galley and asked the cook for some food and a plate for Callie. He asked why she was not with us. When we explained her illness, he got a bowl and ladled some broth.
"Best for a sick stomach. We have new hands all the time, so this is not uncommon. Keep her abed for a bit 'til she gets use to the ship."
We thanked him for his concern. We also asked for scraps for our companions. He hauled out a barrel of fish parts and other animal remains.
Callie was sitting up when we returned. Bo was draped over her legs and lightly around her body. Dawn was on one side and Set on the other. We placed the barrel near the door to keep her from smelling it. We got her propped up to eat as our companions dove into the barrel. We assured her that the cook said that broth was good for her. She at it slowly, testing each swallow to see if it would stay down. We had left the door open, so Hector peeked in on us.
"Trouble, ladies? Cooks said we had a sick passenger," he asked, truly concerned.
"Callie and I are from an inland village. Her stomach is not seaworthy," I explained.
He nodded, "Understood. Not everyone is born to the water."
He saw our companions attacking the barrel and laughed, "Here I was, worried about how and what they eat. I guess the gulls miss out this trip."
"Gulls? What is gulls?" Set asked as he ate.
"Sea birds, those white and grey ones making a lot of noise. They follow boats for food people leave behind," I explained, seeing them clearly in my mind.
Set stopped eating as he "saw" the birds. Hector informed us we were not planning to stop until River Helm, which was a four-day trip. He left with a smile.
Callie sighed, "I am glad no one is mad. I did not want to make a fuss."
"I think career sailors are use to sick land folk," Lisa added with a phony scowl.
We laughed. Callie held her sore sides, but her breakfast stayed down. Our laughter was interrupted by a scraping noise. Looking at the doorway, we saw only Set staring into the barrel. Before we could ask, Dawn and Bo wiggled out with bits of their food stuck all over them. We laughed even harder as we sent them to clean up. Lisa, Gretta, and I returned the barrel, plates, and utensils, with thanks from all of us. The cook let us know where the barrel was kept so our companions could find food without interrupting anyone or making someone questions what they were eating. If we were at sea, such questions could be a problem.
 As we returned to the back, eyes followed us with intent looks. The emotions swirling around them were confusing. Many were curious. Some were angry. The majority of them, along with the others, was suspicion. Their questions were almost written on the faces: "Who are they to get special treatment?" "Are they the real Seven Sisters?" "Where are they headed and why?"
We quickly got out of their sight to put us out of their minds. Callie was on her feet, Set supporting her as the only one of us strong enough to hold her up and stable with four feet on the swaying floor. While she was still pale, she did seem better than earlier this morning. Sarah stayed beside her as only she was both trained and gifted to deal with illnesses. We alerted them to the sailors' attitudes. Lisa volunteered to get Hector. Dawn and Bo shadowed her to prevent any harm to her. They returned quickly, Hector glowing red.
"Did they harm you?" he barked.
"No, but they need answers," I told him calmly, "They have too many questions that their eyes cannot answer. We shall all go up to answer them."
Hector agreed and preceded us on deck. The crew was waiting. Their emotions were still swirling. Hector got them to focus on him.
"Crew! What is the problem? We have had passengers before. We've had dozens of women aboard before. What is it about them that causes the problem?"
"Cap'n," one stepped up to speak, "we've heard some wild tales. Tha' don' bother us. We just wanna know their payment for this trip. No 'uns told us our cut. We just want our pay."
Hector humphed, "There is no pay. We were going to Vallan anyway. They are leaving at River Helm. As a favor to Lord Carmon, they are on board until then. Besides, they got us out of dry dock and fixed our ship, that should be pay enough."
Hector looked harshly at his men. They muttered to each other. Eyes flicked to Set, still being used by Callie as a stabilizer. Coming to an agreement, the speaker stepped up.
"Cap'n, we accept that. That beast, however, is not welcome on this ship."
The rest of the crew confirmed his words. Hector looked at Set. Set looked at him, the picture of innocence, having no idea that people hated him just because he is a dragon. Hector started to speak, but I stopped him.
"Sirs, he is my partner. I am a dragon rider. If you hate him, then hate me, too. If he is not welcome, then I am not welcome."
"If she is not welcome," Lisa joined me, "then we are not welcome. Drop us off at the next port and we will let everyone know the crew of the 'Gaillanna' refused us passage, even as a favor to the local lord and father of one of our sisters."
Panic colored the crew's faces. They knew what kind of damage that would do to their trade, as Lisa knew they did. They muttered to each other again. I caught "Demagram" and "retribution" in the mumblings. As they talked, we talked mentally between us. We came to an agreement before they did.
"Sirs," I interrupted, "we have decided to do something for you and this ship. We can call several powers to bless you and this ship, if you will accept it."
"Explain, please," Hector urged.
"Obviously we have dragon, phoenix, and ko-a-tie or air serpent. We can also call upon aquatic and Faerie. Will that be enough?"
Silent stares were the only answers, even from Hector. I started to add elf, dwarf, gnome, and leprechaun, but Hector found his voice.
"Ye... yes, I do believe that will do, right men?" Hector turned to the crew, trying to cover his own apprehension.
The crew slowly bobbed their heads.
"Very well," I responded, "give us a few moments and we can do this before lunch."
We left the men and settled near the wheel to discuss our task. The crew, numbly, went back to their duties. Hector spoke with the wheel man, who flashed us a look bordering on horror. They talked a bit more. The wheel man pointed the ship to a place out of the flow of ship traffic. When the ship was in a spot where it could be still, they dropped anchor. By this time, we know what to do and how to do it. We told Hector to assemble the entire crew, every hand, at the main mast.
Arriving at the mast, the crew looked like they were about to be executed. They made room for us as if we were going to bite their heads off or something. We encircled the main mast and instructed them to encircle us. We told them and any powers listening what we wanted and were asking. Set stepped up to the mast and blew ice on it. Across the ship, ice covered every surface and each mast, sails included, to the top. The men jumped as the ice covered the boards under their feet. Set stayed near the mast. Dawn joined him. Together, they coated the ice-covered mast in fire. The men got closer to us out of fear from the fire. Like the ice, everything was covered in fire, including the sails, but nothing was damaged. Dawn and Set backed away. Bo spiraled around the mast, producing a wind that extinguished the flames and blew the melted ice off the ship, leaving dry boards without mark or scorch. The wind buffed us on all sides, flapping the sails, and ruffling everything. As this wind blew, Sarah approached the mast. In the merfolk language, she sang to the water. A bowl of water rose around the ship, cutting off the rest of the world. It rose to the height of the tallest mast. Bo's wind caused it to spin around us. The ship, however, was rock solid, not rolling or swaying in any way. I joined them at the mast. In tune with Sarah, I began speaking in Faerie, calling on the mysteries of the world to guard ship and crew. Shapes formed in the spinning water. Noises sounded in our bowl of water that were indescribable, unlike any I had ever heard. The crew gasped and cried out at the shapes and noises. We stepped back and rejoined the rest of our sisters. We thanked everyone and everything that attended and let them leave or stay as they wished. The shapes, water, and wind slowly receded to calm water and a gentle wind. We were surprised to see a large collection of boats and ships horseshoed around where the bowl of water had been. People were shouting, demanding and asking, as to what had just happened. Hector got his crew to go to as many of them as they could to explain. When enough people had been told to allow the "Gaillanna" to return to the river traffic, Hector recalled his crew to get underway. Once back aboard, some went to the bow and stared down. Hector asked us to join him and them up there.
"Ladies, it is a glorious sign. Our maiden, whom our ship is named after, has been remade. Look for yourselves."
Our companions flew out to get a better look. From our vantage point, her hair looked freshly painted, the arm that extended out to point forward also looked as if it were recently painted. Set, however, told us it was not paint.
"I smell treasure. This stuff on the girl smells like the shiny stones and metal like Aper See had as his bed. The hair is brown stones. Her skin is white stones. Her eyes are green stones. Red stones make her lips. Her clothes are gone. She looks like a fish lady."
I relayed his words to Hector, who nodded and smiled.
"That is what we saw as well. It seems we have a visual reminder of your blessing."
Set showed the figure to me from his position. It was much improved from before. I wondered, though, about how they were going to keep others from taking it right off the ship. Looking at some of the other ships, I noticed a fair few had jewels and gold upon them, which relieved some of my concern. The three fliers returned to the ship. The crew returned to their duties, but still looked at us side-long and oddly. We chose to stay at the back, on deck, and watch the traffic around us. Our companions took short flights to play in the water, look at other ships, and chase birds. Some of the other crews of other ships waved at us. This activity took up the rest of the day. Callie only ate the broth as she did not trust her stomach to hold down anything else.