Recent content by Ferran el Machir

Ferran wasn't quite sure but somehow Gal had sidled her way in front of him to take over the negotiations. The Contessa was either amused by this new development or actually intrigued by a Nazrani that spoke reasonable (albeit accented) Cortosi (in a mangled mix of a dozen city dialects). He...

There might have been the ghost of a smile on the Contessa's lips but Ferran didn't dare mimic it. Even Gal choked back any momentary sense of amusement she might have had. The older woman seemed to admire the honesty though. Gal wasn't some lady knight on a mission of virtue, cold solid coin...

It's war then.

If anything made Ferran start, it was Gal managing to sound clearer than she ever had before. Oh the strong accent and stuff was still there but she was actually comprehensible this time. He wisely kept his mouth shut while the Contessa's attention swivelled onto the nazrani. She kept her face...

They weren't taken to the throne room and Ferran knew that much from memories of seeing it once as a boy. Large, draughty, it could have fitted a freighter. No, they were moving towards a more private audience chamber, one more suited for this time of night. The Contessa of Baleri was seated...

Ferran rolled his eyes, for a Cortosi, he could be quite prudish at times. Highly strung went without saying, he was Cortosi after all. He didn''t know how the nazrani could be so flippant at a time like this. Born and raised here, he was used to seeing heads on spikes when the Contessa was in...

Ferran was lost in his own thoughts but the sight of Gal loosening her tunic snapped his mind back from reminiscing to suddenly seeing a bit more skin on display. A different set of memories started flowing through his head. He dropped his voice as low as hers, "She's old, she's beautiful, and...

The halberds and crossbows were enough to sober Ferran up. They looked well used and he'd have been suspicious himself if two lunatics sailed through a storm and a blockade into the harbour. The Nazrani wisely stepped aside and let him do the talking. "Servus" he said, trying to muster what...

"Traps!" he roared back, "They put stuff in the water during sieges. Works as well as a harbour chain". A wave rolled past, exposing a rock that had been submerged a second ago. Ferran missed it just barely. "And rocks or reefs!" he said, almost giddy with the near-collision. They scraped over...

You had to respect the sea. She was a faithless lover but she could make you feel divine. Ferran had waltzed with her before and been to enough funerals of those who danced with her once too many. Even if he was going to die in the next moments then it was a good way to go. "Five points...

Gal helped haul him in though he wasn't sure whether it was just because she didn't want the boat capsizing on her. He was drenched through and the charcoal was coming off him in places. Shivering, he pulled himself up, holding onto the gunwale to stay steady. "I hear you" he said through...

The hoplite advanced, sticking to short stabs with the spear and keeping the shield up. Ferran backed up, not wanting to risk tangling up close. His jerkin might weather a slash or two but the spear would go right through him. The storm seemed to be picking up around him. The rain was pelting...

Ferran was too fired up to ignore her order. He did as told, trying to keep low and praying that he wasn't about to take an arrow or javelin to the back. Gal rose and flung her javelin as the lightning flashed. The horn blowing cut off with a strangled sound. She dropped low and crawled towards...

Ferran would have let out a sound of relief but he was afraid how far it might carry. He pushed the catboat further into the water as Gal nimbly vaulted in. He shoved it one last push before hopping in himself. He squinted into the black, careful not to look at the distant torches. He was about...

Ferran thanked whatever gods were listening that the boat struck muck and not rock. He knew the secret ways as well as any native captain but the marshes and sandbars shifted with each storm. Only the reefs and rocks were permanent. They both stayed frozen in the boat, half expected to be...