Crosspoint

    Arsin watched the hooded young man enter the tavern. Without removing his hood the man spoke briefly with a barmaid who nodded towards Arsin's table. The man looked over, breathed in deeply, and then walked resolutely in Arsin's direction.

    "Sit down," Arsin said as he arrived. "You're late."

    "I was never told which bar I was to find you in." The hooded man replied. "This is the third one I checked."
    "If you knew what you were doing, this would have been the only place you looked."

    At this the young man simply looked at him. Arsin wasn't sure if the man was searching for something to reply or if he was just waiting for Arsin to continue. During the pause both men sized each other up. Behind the hood Arsin could see that the person across from him was really only a boy. The patchy hair from a few days without shaving was far from being enough to support a full beard. This caused Arsin to reevaluate what he was dealing with.

    "Can you pay?" Arsin asked.

    "Not with cash."

    "Well, I am obviously wasting my time."

    As Arsin started to get up from the table, the boy across from him muttered, "opri". Arsin couldn't move. It was if everything from his waist down had turned to stone. Fear mixed with anger as the older man gripped the hilt of his sword. It also wouldn't budge.

    "Just hear me out." The hooded boy said as he calmly looked over his shoulder through the open door of the tavern, "Do you see that flag over there across the street?"

    "Yes." Arsin said through gritted teeth.

    The man muttered "vietor" and suddenly a strong gust of wind whipped the flag in a direction opposite the prevailing winds in the area.

    Arsin's eyes slowly widened as he realized the implications of what he was being offered. He asked, "How strong, and for how long can you do that?"
    "I've never really had to test my endurance before but I'm pretty sure I could get that breeze strong enough to whip the flag right off the pole."

    "I've got a two mast little galley." Arsin said, "If you can hold an acceptable wind for four hours a day I'll give you quarters with the officers. If you can't you're sleeping on the deck and I'll have some other work for you to do as well. Sound fair?"

    The hooded man reached across and shook Arsin's hand. "My name's Kayeen, and I would be honored to take passage on the Blue Spray."

    "A few pointers for you Kayeen," the captain of the Spray added. "Don't go around showing off too much magik. Don't ever, ever, ever use it on me or one of my shipmates again. And you need to do a better job in trying to hide your sword. Perhaps if you tied the scabbard to your thigh that might help. But then you'll have to pretend to have a limp, though."
    Kayeen simply shrugged. "I'm not trying to hide the fact I own a sword, just the identity of the sword that I own."

    Arsin grinned knowingly. "So who did you have to kill to get it?"
    "The question is, who do I get to kill to keep it?"

    Summer didn't last very long this far north. In fact, although this cool air in Aisu (or Funatsukibaisu to thosee scholars and officials who still bothered to use the towns full name) was warm enough to be considered late summer, in most of the world temperatures in the mid thirties would be winter weather. Within weeks there will be no more ships coming this far north. As it is, most of the ships still here were waiting for the traders and trappers with whom they had worked specific contracts. Most trappers had arrived in town a good three weeks ago, but the Great North Woods can often be very unreliable, even in the summer months.

    Kayeen's cloak whipped out behind him almost like a cape as he walked toward the dock. His dark brown eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he moved toward the Blue Spray. There were two large triangular masts both pointing toward the bow, one in front of the other. In addition, there were twenty oars on both port and starboard. "We won't be needing those anymore." Kayeen grinned, "You're not much, but I've got to start somewhere."

    Looking at his hooded, six foot frame, nobody would guess that Kayeen was only a few days beyond eighteen. Seeing the covered sword at his side, nobody would guess that the young man had no idea how to use it. Although he had picked it up for the first time only a couple months back, already he carried it, and himself, as if the two were one. Although is was definitely not a Katana, Kayeen had the long, lithe body frame that was favorable to the expert swordsmen in the east. Beyond that, there was something in his brown eyes that bespoke a maturity far beyond his age.

    "You're early!" Arsin called from the deck.

    "I didn't dare arrive late!" Kayeen called back with a grin.

    Arsin laughed as he responded, "You don't trust me?"

    "I wouldn't trust myself if our roles were reversed." Kayeen replied as he joined in the laughter. He started to step onto the gangplank but paused as he noticed the few sailors within eyesight pause in what they were doing and turn their eyes toward him. He stepped back and grasped one wrist with the other hand behind his back. "Permission to come aboard, sir!" He called up.

    Arsin redoubled his laughter. "You're a quick study for a landlubber. Come on up, young man."

    So Kayeen walked onto his first ship. At this point, though, nobody but he knew that the Blue Spray was now his. He was still working in his mind the best way to break the news to his new crew. He was also still undecided if Arsin would be better suited as his first mate, or as fish bait.

    The day was shaping up to be a beautiful one. The sun had just passed its apex and was now heading down on its westward journey. There were very few small patchy clouds making white dots on an otherwise beautiful blue sky. From the stillness of the waves and the almost nonexistent movement of the clouds, you would think that there would be far too little wind to have the sails out. But they were out and there was a gentle billowing to those sails from a small breeze that was pushing the Blue Spray on a steady southeasterly course.

    Kayeen was leaning back on a small stool that was precariously propped against the rail of the ship. His arms were hanging loosely over the rail to either side. The hood had fallen back and his almost black shoulder length hair was fighting to break free from the tie that held it in place behind him. Atop his now clean shaven face, his dark brown eyes were flitting everywhere. First he was watching a cloud, then he was smiling at the way the flag danced in the breeze he was creating, then he would watch one of the sailors busy at one of their tasks. You would think he was a man without a care in the world. You would think that until the stool would suddenly straighten and Kayeen would look intently at one of the sails and mutter, "vietor". Immediately the breeze would pick up and, for a while, the ship would gain a little speed.

    Arsin was standing on the poop deck, arms folded over his muscular chest. First he would be watching the fading shore and then he would glance over at his newest crewmember. At first he had heard murmurings from the rest of the crew when they saw the young slacker had relaxed into his chosen spot even before the Blue Spray had left shore. But as the wind continued so steadily and on perfect course Arsin noticed how the light seemed to go on in one and then another crewmember. Some were now sending nervous or suspicious glances Kayeen's way, but all were appreciative. Even if this was the best the boy could do, Arsin figured they could reach the next port almost a day ahead of schedule.

    When he could no longer see the shore, Arsin called out to Kayeen, "Alright boy! Game's over. Time to see what you really got!"

    Kayeen stood up and in one fluid motion pulled his robe off and draped it over his right arm. With his left hand he pulled the string that had been holding the cover of his sword in place. All across the ship you could hear an audible gasp as everyone's eyes were turned to the ruby pommel above where the boy had gripped the hilt. Holding the sword in his left hand his right shot out toward the main mast and he shouted, "vietor!" Like an avalanche a wind fell into both sails and threw them out to their fullest. There was a strong jolt as the Spray started skipping over the water at impossible speed.

    Arsin roared in laughter and joy as his eyes expertly looked over the arch of the straining mast down to where it met the deck. Satisfied that his baby could handle the strain he cupped his hands to his mouth and bellowed, "There's no need to throw everything into the first gust! Pace yourself boy!"

    Kayeen just grinned and shouted back, "This is nothing! Just tell me when you need to change direction!"

    Arsin simply responded with a renewed bout of hearty laughter. The rest of the crew were looking fearfully between the two thinking they had both gone insane. Many were muttering curses under their breath. Many others were muttering prayers. More than a few, though, were still casting covetous glances at Kayeen's sword.

    Kayeen was exhausted. As he took off his shoes, he literally fell backwards on his bunk. After three days of pushing himself too hard just to show off, they had completed what was normally an 8 or 9 day journey to the next town south along this eastern coast. They had stayed only a day and that was not nearly enough for Kayeen to recuperate. He had just finished his first four hour shift and already felt like he was at his breaking point. This can't continue. That was his last thought as he drifted off to sleep while still only halfway through unbuckling his sword belt.

    Suddenly, he woke up with a start. Not yet fully awake he sat up with a jolt and his right hand reached across for his sword. His hand reached across for what was not there. His head looking down in surprise caused the knife to miss. The cut that would have killed him instead cut a slash just over his right eye. As the blood started flowing down, stinging and blinding him, another meaty hand covered his mouth and pushed him back into his bunk. With both hands and all his strength Kayeen tried to pull the hand away, but he just didn't have the strength. Even as his mind was starting to panic, his body was still weak from his overexertion.

    "Heh, just as we figgered." A raspy voice whispered in his ear. "If yeh can't speak yeh can't do no magik. I says yer too weak to do much more anyways but we's not taking any chances is we?"

    Kayeen tried to shout through the muffled hand but no sound came out. As he started to fade out through lack of oxygen, his weakening struggle against the hand grew more desperate.

    The voice leaned in closer and taunted, "What a surprise everyone'll have in the morning when you've dis'peared along with the entire night watch. Of course by then we'll be almost back ta shore ta sell your sword and you'll be sleepin on the"

    The sailor broke off with a grunt as his groin received a well placed kick from Kayeen's left foot. At the same instant Kayeen was able to turn his head just enough to whisper, "tinge". His sword flew out of the shocked hands of another sailor and into his waiting right hand. Swinging it weakly across he managed to smack the temple of the sailor who was now doubled over in pain. Though not a strong blow, it was enough, combined with the kick, for the hand to slip completely off Kayeens mouth and nostrils. Even as he desperately gulped in air, Kayeen swung the sword in a full, two handed arc that severed his attacker's taunting head from its stocky body.

    All this happened so quickly the other sailors were just beginning to recover and advance. With his bloody eye still closed shut, Kayeen turned his face toward them and muttered with contempt, "opri". Through his good left eye Kayeen watched the three frightened sailors who were now frozen like statues in candid poses of reaching for, or raising up their knives. Once his breathing was back to normal he said to them, "Your only mistake was letting that fool talk too much." Kayeen said as he gestured toward the headless corpse that was making a sticky red mess of his cabin. "If you three don't make the same mistake, you just might make it through the night alive."

    Arsin woke to a gentle, nervous knocking on his door. It felt as though he had just gone to sleep. In reality it was about four in the morning. His first mate knocked again and when the captain grunted in acknowledgement, the first mate called in, "Uh, sir. I think you might need to see this."

Muttering something about incompetent fools, Arsin threw on his robe and trudged out onto the deck. It was looking to be another beautiful day. There was just beginning to show the light of predawn along the eastern horizon that combined with a nearly full moon to provide plenty of light. There were a few clouds that seemed to be gathering just over the eastern horizon. The gentle waves were slowly pulling the Blue Spray south to southeast. The air was still cold enough this morning for his breath to form a heavy fog , and there were goose bumps forming on his arm.

    Then Arsin froze in his tracks. Almost directly in front of him, the captain found three of his crewmen who were supposed to be the night watch standing in a circle with their backs to the main mast. There was a rope wound around them from the feet up to the knees holding them securely to the mast. Another similar rope was holding their arms in place stretched high overhead. Each sailor was gagged and all three were staring blankly ahead as if in a kind of shock.

    At first the mast, with its occupants, was blocking his line of sight, so Arsin didn't see it until he took another step forward. Looking straight at him was a head. On each side of the corpseless head was a large black boot. Following those boots up, Arsin took in the sight of Kayeen watching him. He was leaning lazily forward in his stool with his elbows resting against his knees. In his right hand, which was almost touching the hair of that corpse, Kayeen held his sword. From there the sword, out of it's scabbard, stretched out to its point which was resting on the deck to the left, and slightly in front of the head.

    Twice Arsin opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. Just as he was about to try a third time, Kayeen, still looking at him, said, "There's going to be a few changes around here."