Legends of Luternia by Thomas Sabel Page A

stifle a laugh, but couldn’t. This set off a chain reaction going from Barty to Ulrik, who wiped it off with his hand and held it out toward his cousin and began chasing him down the beach. Being older and faster, Barty sprinted across the sand. Ulrik gave up chasing him after fifty yards and took stock of his direction. Ulrik called to the figure still running on, “You’re going in the wrong direction.”
    As Ulrik washed the bird droppings off his hand and head with the sea water he heard Edgar come up to him. “He’s scared of bird poop,” Edgar laughed and pointed to the approaching Barty.
    “No I’m not. I didn’t want to get soiled; it would spoil my clothes,” said Barty as he held out his arms and slowly turned around on the beach as if showing off an elegant tunic. Ulrik looked up at him from the water’s edge where he was squatting and washing.
    “Barty, they’re already soiled.”
    Barty looked down at his clothes and realized the dismal state of his traveling disguise. “Ugh,” he said, “The first thing I’m going to do when this whole business is over is to get a decent set of clothes. I wouldn’t let my cat sleep in these.” He marched back toward the way he had run.
    Edgar whispered to Ulrik, “Does he have a cat?”
    Ulrik shrugged his shoulders and called out, “Barty, you’re going the wrong way again!” Then to Edgar, “Come on, he’ll catch up.”
    Barty caught up and they began the long trek up the coast. The ocean’s presence comforted them with the gentle roar of the waves and the constant presence of the gulls. All seemed well with the world as they walked three abreast along the shore.
    The beach gave way to rocks after a day’s walk and then to tall, rugged boulders which slowed their pace as they picked their way around them. The sky began to darken with heavy black clouds crowding the horizon. Lightning flashed within the clouds but they heard no thunder.
    “Do you think we should find a safe place before the thunderstorm hits?” Ulrik asked.
    “Where?” Barty replied. “Look around, do you see anything but rocks and ocean? I don’t think it’s going to matter where we’re at when that thing hits. We’re going to get soaked.”
    The storm overtook the beach with remarkable speed as it raced to devour the shore. Lightning flashed around them and thunder echoed off every rock and rumbled above of them. The clouds came in low, the rain so heavy that it was as if the sky and sea met to form an angry beast, clawing them with talons of water, beating their ears with thunder, terrifying them with lightening. They huddled in the shelter on the lee side of the rocks but for all the good it did them, they might as well have been in the sea.
    The sound of men’s voices nearby startled them into quiet watchfulness.
    “Damn this cursed weather!” said one of the men.
    “Jirair, why do we have to come ashore in the middle of the storm? It ain’t right, we should be at sea, riding it out,” said another.
    “Damn near swamped the boat coming in. A body could drown in this quicker’n Old Scratch could kiss your mother, Eznik” said Jirair.
    “Don’t be talking about my mother!” said Eznik.
    “Lookee there, got the momma boy all riled again,” jeered Jirair.
    “You two knock it off or I’ll report you to the Cap’n.,” said a third.
    “Cap’n, bah. Who made him cap’n anyway?” said Jirair.
    “We did when we voted him in,” said Eznik.
    “And maybe I voted agin’ him.” replied Jirair.
    “Belay that talk now, we got work to do,” commanded the third.
    “Karayan, what the hell are we out in this God-forsaken storm for?” Eznik asked.
    “Lookin’ for two travelers- a young one and a big, dumb one. Cap’n says they’re worth a fortune,” explained Karayan.
    “To who, that strange hooded fellow Cap’n was talkin’ to before we left? I didn’t like the smell of him,” Eznik said.
    “Aye, I caught a glimpse of what was under that hood. Gives