Cinnamon Bun Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty-Five - Prisoner Swap

Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty-Five - Prisoner Swap

Calamity and one of Capricas guards were told to keep an eye on the pirates. The pirates werent fond of that, but those who complained the loudest were also those not nursing split lips, brown eyes or nasty arrow-wounds, so they were usually told to shush up by their friend, only none of the pirates used any kind language.

It seed like one of the requirents to be on this particular crew was having a foul mouth.

I was too busy to chastise anyone though.

Awen ran to the kitchen and rooted around for stuff to feed people with. The easiest solution, as it turned out, was simple bread. The cooks had obviously prepared a batch already, and there were so harder loaves that I imagined ca from the day before. So soup was bubbling away within a big cauldron and it slled really nice too.

We gathered all of the bread into a few stacks, and Awen started to ladle soup into so bowls as well. Then we brought what we could into the room with the cells.

Okay, I said as I inspected the room. More of the prisoners, the hostages, were standing. Were going to get everyone out of here. Please, please be nice to each other. We have enough food for everyone. If youre hurt, go to... uh... I turned to the remaining royal guardsman.

Major Icearm, he said.

Go to Major Icearm here, and hell look you over. He knows so healing magic, I said. Im going to use so magic on you too, okay? Just to get you all cleaned up. And you can gather in the main room and eat and try to rebuild your strength.

Amaryllis and Caprica helped the hostages moved out, first only one or two of the braver ones, then a trickle as they saw that we were handing out food and my Cleaning magic, which I was pushing out at a steady stream that made the air sparkly-clean, wasnt hurting anyone.

I cald a bit as my cleaning magic washed over them and the gunk evaporated from their feathers and clothing. Even those with wounds looked a little better after I had purified their bandages and cleaned out any infection.

But by their sunken eyes and hollow looks, I knew it would take more than a little cleaning and so bread for them to feel any peace.

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

I startled. That was the first word I'd heard out of any of them, so far.

He was a younger blue-feathered harpy, maybe Amaryllis own age. He was wearing half of what looked like a uniform of so sort, black pants with a stripe running down the side and a white, sweat-stained button-up shirt.

Im Captain Broccoli Bunch, and these are my friends, I said. Were, uh, from the Exploration Guild, but we spend a lot of ti trying to make the world a nicer place. And sotis that ans fighting pirates.

The good captain here employed us to assist, Caprica said. The sylph you see are rcenaries, and nothing but rcenaries.

I nodded, because what else was I supposed to do, disagree? We hardly needed to confuse the ex-hostages more. Lets get you all patched up, I said. We have so airships coming in soon, so well be able to evacuate everyone.

What if they dont arrive? soone muttered.

What about the pirates?

How do we know youre telling the truth?

There was a snap-pop, and everyone flinched except for Amaryllis, who had a talon raised. World-damn it. Were here to rescue you, not play hatchery gas. Youre all harpy, arent you? Now act like the proud birds you are and grow a little spine.

Amaryllis, dont be too an, I said. Theyve been through a lot.

Still, her little admonition worked to calm everyone down. We hurried to give everyone enough to eat, and a few of the ex-hostages moved over to Major Icearm who checked them out with a glowing hand that I imagined ant he was using so sort of healing magic.

Healing magic was supposed to be one of the things the sylph were really good at, and it didnt surprise that soone in the royal guard knew a bit. It seed like a useful skill for a bodyguard to have.

Once everyone was out of a cell--a few needed help to stand, and those were the ones that Major Icearm fussed over the most, he even had to dip into his packs for so dicine and potions for so, though it looked like he was rationing what he had--we left the room with the cells.

The main space of the first floor was pretty clearly divided in half. The pirates-turned-prisoners were on one side, the freed harpy on the other. There was a lot of glaring across the invisible line between the two sides.

Major, are we going to have complications? Caprica asked.

Possibly, the guard said "Many of the captives are injured. So seem to have been wounded back when they were captured - of course all the pirates did was slap on so bandages and throw them in a cell. About half of the wounds were infected, but the good captain's cleaning helped in that regard." He nodded at . "The worst is that one of them's lost his right arm from the bicep down ... he doesn't seem fully aware, either." He grimaced, then schooled his face back to professionalism. "Others were beaten more recently. They all have signs of mana depletion. Chronic mana depletion, though I imagine it cant have lasted more than a few days at most. Lots of bedsores and stiff muscles and the usual side-effects youd expect to see in people allowed only limited movents.

Theyre all wearing bracelets around their ankles, Amaryllis said.

I blinked, then turned to look at one of the nearest prisoners. Most were barefoot, which wasnt unusual with harpy. Even Amaryllis only wore a sort of wrap around the base of her talons. They also, as she said, all had bracelets around their ankles.

Um, sorry, you, sir, can you co here please? I asked one of the harpy. The sa harpy whod spoken up earlier.

He glanced around, uncertain, but ca over all the sa. Can I help? he asked.

I nodded. Whats that around your ankle?

Oh, he said. He raised his leg up, standing on the other with relative ease. They put these on all of us when we arrived. They werent gentle about it.

The anklet was made of thick, rusty iron, with a rivet punched through an eyelet holding it locked in place.

Amaryllis ca closer and squinted at the device. Its a magic item. Its casting sothing.

Its casting light, he said. We have a few people that know magic well enough, they checked them out. Its casting a light spell, but the weave is really poor.

A poorly cast spell, and I imagine the device is designed to cast on touching soone, Amaryllis said. Clever, I suppose.

So it uses up all of soones mana? I asked.

Amaryllis shrugged. That kind of device cant force your mana out of you. Here, touch it.

I reached down and touched it after the harpy whose leg it was on gave a nod. The ring instantly started to glow a bit, tiny motes of light flickering off of it. It wasnt even as bright as a candle. I frowned, and with a smidge of concentration was able to stop it from glowing without removing my hand. Um, this doesnt seem effective.

Can you hold your mana back while sleeping? Amaryllis asked .

I had no idea. Ive never tried casting stuff while I sleep, I said.

Exactly. I imagine it mostly drains mana while the hostages arent paying attention, or while theyre asleep.

The harpy boy nodded. Thats right. We wake up drained. You can rebuild your stores during the day, but ... it's hard to focus on retaining your mana when you're hungry, and they only fed us every other day.

The room with the cells was probably drained the entire ti, Amaryllis said. Or, lightly drained. The space would be filled with raw mana otherwise.

You know your magic, maam, he said. Im Theodore Bluem, I was aboard the Remiges Crown. Did you co to find us?

We did, Amaryllis said. Im Amaryllis Albatross, I was part of a separate delegation to Sylphfree. When yours never arrived, we imagined sothing terrible happened, so we ca to investigate.

What did happen? I asked.

Theodore glared at nothing in particular. Betrayal happened. We ended up having to go further north than intended. It was one of the ships, it kept drifting off course, and it signalled that sothing was wrong. Nothing big, just a stuck rudder. Combined with that storm and... it doesnt matter. The pirates ca out of nowhere but we could have taken them, except one of our ships turned on us.

What! I gasped. That was terrible.

It makes sense, Amaryllis said as she stroked her chin. The pirates couldnt have taken on as many ships as they did with the numbers they had, not without soone getting away.

Wait, what happened to the ship that betrayed the others? I asked.

Theodore shrugged. I dont know. But Baron Vonowl ca down to gloat a few tis. Hes staying sowhere above, I think.

I turned to Amaryllis, and I think she caught my question before I even asked it. I dont recognize the na. If hes actually a baron, then hes so low-ranked, unimportant one. Speaking of which... are any of the nobles with the captives here?

Theodore shook his head. They were taken away early on. Were the hostages that arent worth much. I... dont know what they were planning to do with us.

We should inform Bastion to keep an eye out, Caprica said. In the anti, we should get all of these people upstairs and away from the pirates down here.

What are we going to do with the pirates? I asked.

Caprica narrowed her eyes, then sighed. Legally, we cant do anything. This isnt our land, and while theres so vague justification for coming in and freeing the hostages, we dont have any legal basis for carrying out proper justice.

So no beheading the lot of them? Amaryllis asked.

I slapped a hand over my mouth.

No, nothing of the sort. I say we truss them up and toss them into the cages the captives were in, Caprica said.

I liked that idea a lot more.

We started moving the pirates over in little groups so that we could manage them if they tried anything. They werent happy about being shoved behind bars, but when the alternative was being separated from their heads... they grudgingly listened to what we said.

Once they were all divested of weapons, tied up, and locked away, we got the captives sorted. So of them insisted on grabbing so of the pirates old weapons, and I didnt have the heart to stop them. If it made them feel better, then that was for the best. I could understand wanting to arm up after being in a cage for so long. They also ate through all of the things in the kitchen which were easy to eat and didnt require any cooking. Major Icearm insisted that they eat slowly and carefully, but a few went ahead and stuffed themselves only to be sick all over again.

I wouldnt say they were in good shape for a fight, but it was better than nothing. The fact that most of them were experienced airship crewbirds ant that maybe they could help us once the ships arrived.

We climbed back up to the second floor where one of the squads was waiting for us. Their dic imdiately jumped to help the harpies.

Wheres Paladin Bastion? Caprica asked one of the nearby scouts.

Above, maam, he said. Seventh floor.

Good, Caprica said. She turned to the squad leader. Watch things here. Keep the harpies safe until rescue arrives. Were heading up.

Were going to go poke at things upstairs? I asked.

Ah, isnt that what we always do? Awen asked.

Calamity grinned next to her. Man, I joined the right group of misfits, didnt I?

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