^^ Anubis's Messenger ^^

— Reginald —

A strange voice across the hall halted my annoyed muttering, and I paused in the middle of the hall, looking for the source of the ethereal cracking and murmuring, an odd combination.

I touched a wall, feeling for the source of the sound as I'd been taught, and followed it instinctively. I found myself almost immediately at the door to Doctor Cole's laboratory, which was locked. After a moment or so of debate, I knocked on the door quietly. "Doctor Cole? Do you require assistance?"

The ethereal cracking stopped, but the murmur rose in volume. "Let the boy enter, Doctor... he amuses me." A voice that was not of the same pitch or timbre as Cleo's, but of the same kind.

'A second Pagan Beast? How many are here?'

"Enter, Sir Reginald." The Doctor sighed.

I opened the door calmly, my back straight and my gait perfect, in case this was another creature I was required to treat with. I was originally confused by the lack of beasts, besides Cleo, who lounged across the main desk in a large Clouded Leopard form. Then a shadowy creature in the desks chair made itself apparent; tall and thin, humanoid, but with a Egyptian Dog for a head, and midnight fur on all his visible skin, under a perfectly respectable tailcoat and doubled vest.

I cleared my throat, and nodded. "A vassal of Anubis, I suppose? I am Sir Reginald Birchwood, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir."

His ears turned, twitching at every available sound, but his eyes, molten gold swirling around a pure ebon center, were focused on me. His mouth didn't move, while that same echoing voice sounded in my head. "A curiously stalwart soul for a boy so young and untested... As I was saying, Doctor, the means by which you bring our young Shabt-Mun-Ra back to her home temple in the Heartland are none of my concern, but her presence has been missed far too long, now. We are becoming impatient." His lip lifted a little, showing his teeth, then he returned to his polite posture.

Cleo sat up casually, and showed each of her teeth in a slow reveal to the jackal. "My name... is Cleo. And I am not your property, Dog. My servant Benjamin will rebuild my temple, and I will watch over him, and, after he is dead and gone to Valhalla, his children; this I have decreed. Tell your petty friends they are welcome to come and challenge me, however... 'Tis a great honor for you, I'm sure: Food for one such as I is the highest station you could ever aspire to."

His lips drew back fully, and his voice seemed to deepen, echoing harsher. "Cats... Always so ARROGANT... Let me be clear; you are a Cloud Giant, a creature that brings the rains to a range, and the storms to a sea. You are not some Sailor's PET... and you BELONG at your TEMPLE, bringing the rains to the NILE, and the ENTIRE HEARTLAND!!!"

"As my Servant would say, Anubis: GO SUCK AN EGG, YOU GANGRENOUS, POX-RIDDEN ALLEY BITCH!!!" She whacked his face with her paw, making the entire ship shiver.

"Now let's all be calm, here..." the Doctor spoke in a pleasant tone, but the room seemed much, much colder, suddenly.

The jackal, who had reared back a clawed hand to return the strike, paused, looking at the Doctor for a moment before relaxing his posture. "I suppose we are in your territory, Sage... I will digress. I will return, Shabt-Mun-Ra. Think over the repercussions of your selfishness."

She boxed him again, her claws savaging his face, and then physically roared in his face, like a fully-grown African Lion. "My name... Is Cleo. Make the mistake again, and I shall feast upon your corpse."

The cuts in his face healed slowly, and he bowed to the Doctor wordlessly. A soft syllable escaped his lips, and I raised an eyebrow when the jackal's head slowly melted, leaving a tall brown-skinned man in its stead, who now sported the savage scars of Cleo's claws across his face.

He shivered, and sat down, looking around with white, cataract-filled eyes. "Doctor? Donde estamos?" He asked, speaking accented Iberian, it sounded like.

"Of course, Gerald, I am here. We are on the Ironheart, remember? My ship. I'm taking you to Gibraltar, yes?" The Doctor patted his shoulders gently, leading the man to lay in a bed.

"Sí, I remember... Gracias, Doctor... yo soy muy cansado..." he groaned, laying down and snoring almost immediately.

"Huh. Well, that was odd." I hummed.

Doctor Cole chuckled and sat at his desk, shooing Cleo off like a typical housecat, which she took offense to, trotting over to his lab table and leaping up onto it, knocking over anything in her way as she laid down, staring at him challengingly.

He barely spared her a glance, and looked at me curiously. "Yes, it was very odd... even more odd, is that you don't seem surprised."

"That a pagan god would send a messenger to recover an incredibly important pseudo-deity? Or that said messenger was just a kidnapped human, as the pagan god cannot leave the land of its worship without withering into a pathetic husk of itself?" I asked.

He laughed softly. "Both, I suppose, but that does make sense, from your description... you've seen this before, then?"

"No, but I've read about it. That was Anubis, or a vassal at least; the Jackal Iconography was clear. And Cleo is a Storm Demigod-like creature, again clear. The rains over England have never been so dense this time of year, according to my father." I nodded.

"Ah, you've been trading Fire messages, yes?" He asked, and lit a small copper burner, writing a short message on parchment, then burning it.

"Yes, Doctor." I bowed my head.

"Hmm? You're not in trouble, boy; though I'd prefer there not be any open fires on board other than these." He gestured at the three burners that were currently on low, I noticed. A small piece of parchment came out of one, and he caught it, humming. "The pirates in Gibraltar are becoming an issue... tell your father that which you have witnessed, Reginald; and when you're done with that, tell me why you are not with Benjamin?"

I nodded and wrote a quick summary, containing all the key points of the conversation, and especially the name that Anubis had given Cleo; knowledge like that was important, and extraordinarily useful. "Benjamin is with the Captain... your daughter. I may have offended her, addressing her as 'Lady Cole'... it was a mistake, it seems, and I was sent away." I gave the barest of excuses, still looking at the flames.

"Mm. I can smell lies, my boy, and it's really not necessary." He raised an eyebrow at me imperiously.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, then paused. "Why did no one respond to that Roar?" I asked, looking at Cleo, who was licking her paws casually.

"Because they did not hear her. Outside of this room, only my daughter and now Benjamin have the ability to hear sounds in the Ether, and therefore they were the only ones who could have heard... but you're right; they should have responded by now." He frowned, walking to the door and leading the way slowly out, peeking around the corner with an odd contortion of his spine.

I placed a hand on my dagger, hearing a shattering of glass, and he threw open the door to the Navigator's office, drawing a sword out of his cane.

Then he sighed, and I glanced over his shoulder, finding Benjamin and Adrian tangled up in a rather compromising position on the desk, the maps and contents dashed to the ground; they were both now looking at us, though with something akin to annoyance, for her, and sheepish amusement, for him. "Ah. That's why you didn't respond... Hmph. Carry on." He shook his head, closing the door and sheathing his cane-sword.

"Well... I suppose Cleo doesn't have to worry about Benjamin finding a wife." I cleared my throat uncomfortably.

"Perhaps... I rather like Adrian, she is always good to her cats." Cleo pounced onto the doctor's shoulders, in her smaller form.

Doctor Cole chuckled softly, and waved me after him, walking out onto the platform that overlooked the captain's wheel and the entire ship. "Yes, as she says... or perhaps not? Who knows? Now, let's test what you've learned, hmm? It's been a day, surely you've learned some things about being a Sailor? What are those?" He asked, directing my vision to the sails.

"Well... those are the Mainsails, Topsails, and Foresails, collectively. As this is a Three-Masted Ship, with a backward level of cabins, it is of Dutch Craftsmanship; this means it also has a forward sail, sometimes called the 'Horn Sail', which is used during a storm, in place of the Mainsails." I nodded.

"Very good; you read that in a book, though. A Salt would call them the 'Lowsails' for mainsails, though topsails and foresails are the same, as well as the Horn Sail, or Storm Sail." He explained, and sat on one of the very few seats on the ship, bolted to the deck at the perfect angle to catch every available ray of sunlight, likely for reading purposes.

"I'll remember that." I leaned against the rails next to him, watching the sailors as they went about their duties. We were still in the harbor, waiting our turn to leave the narrow mouth, and while the deck was rocking something fierce, no one seemed to mind.

In fact, they seemed supremely comfortable in the space, some swinging from one piece of rigging to another, timing it properly, or some walking along the deck and checking knots. They were double and triple checking every single knot on board, very thoroughly, which I supposed was important. I was just busy staying on my improvised seat, eventually leaning with the tilt of the ship like they were, instead of fighting to remain standing straight up, and finding balance instantly easier.

"So with a Storm Giant on board, I guess we're always in a Storm? And these sailors have simply gotten used to it?" I asked, turning around on the rail and getting used to the rocking again.

"You assume correctly." He nodded, pulling a small book out of his vest, despite the rain, and making a small pictograph, as a sort of short hand. He noticed my interest, and showed me the book, full of the same type of symbol. "Khione Greek, my boy. I chart the storms, their behavior... the reason I like Cleo to remain on my ship, despite the inconvenience of the storms, is because I'm studying them. And what better way to study storms than to stick around a creature that manifests them?" He grinned, and went back to watching the storm.

"That does make sense, Doctor... May I ask why you're studying the storms?" I watched him for any body language, but there was none, beyond what he did deliberately, which was both Odd and unsettling.

He blinked slowly, and tipped his glasses down to look at me over them. "One needs no reason to pursue knowledge, lad."

"Well, one usually has one anyway." I shrugged.

He grinned, returning to his book and examinations of the clouds. "True, very true..."

"Do you wish to elaborate?" I frowned.

"If you answer the question you dodged in my laboratory, yes. Consider it a trade." He nodded.

"Fine. The captain and Benjamin were concerned that having me aboard would be bad luck, considering they believe me to be a virgin; when I professed my disdain for their superstitions, they sent me to see a woman named 'Jaime', apparently with the express purpose of getting me in bed with her. As I wasn't interested, I went to see you, and you are aware of the rest." I crossed my arms in a stern and unapologetic pose, attempting to halt any further inquiry.

He hummed, glancing at me. "It isn't superstition. Virgins are a particular favorite of almost all seafaring predators, such as mermaids or sirens and the like. Having one on board is a sort of beacon for them, effectively bringing misfortune onto the crew."

I nodded slowly. "The Order says much the same about most monsters we hunt... we bring actual priests along to lure said monsters in, when we need to. Well, either way, their concerns are unfounded. As distasteful as I find discussing my private life, I am not a virgin. I am terribly awkward around those I find attractive, this is true, but not inexperienced, at least physically... I am also experienced enough to know that I did not care for it, and I do not wish to repeat it nor remember it at all, had I my wish. That's all I'll say of the subject."

He nodded, making a note of a small waterspout that appeared, then died down. "Good. And as for the answer to your question, it is trifold: I wish to study storms, specifically these storms, in order to discover how Cleo affects the weather. Also, I wish to understand how the currents in the air move the clouds into patterns, in an effort to predict the weather, without magic. So any navigator can know when a storm is coming, and how to avoid them. The third reason is perhaps the most important; I wish to understand how Magic and Nature coexist. It is a very involved subject, one I could speak with you about for hours, and still not finish."

I sat down on the rail more securely, and smiled. "That sounds fascinating, Doctor!"

He glanced at me, and chuckled. "Ah, I forget; you are a scholar as well! I am so used to so very few of my colleagues being willing to listen and debate a subject. I miss it dearly, to be honest."

"Miss what? Colleagues?" I looked out over the water, at the setting sun, and waited for him to answer.

A few minutes later, he articulated himself. "Yes, colleagues. I was once a member of the Oxford Medical College, as well as the Alexandrian Council of Surgeons, and Lung-Xian's Enlightenment, and so many other such groups. I have been alone for around twenty years, now, however. Ever since finding Benjamin, now that I think about it."

I frowned, turning to look at him. "Alexandria burned... 800 years ago."

"Oh yes, it did; I was amongst the survivors of the blaze. I could also tell you of the Sack of Paris, the Battle of Carthage, and many more..." He smirked.

I narrowed my eyes slowly, sure he was lying, but Cleo spoke, to my surprise. "They knew him as the Sage. His name is old, too old to speak in this tongue. He was born when the power of Rome was peaking, long before even the Christian Messiah was said to have been born. He is of a Kind that lives until they die violently; that which you would call 'immortal'. He likes to be mysterious, as is his personal right and prerogative, but you gave of yourself freely and honestly, in answering that question as you did, and I feel you deserve recompense."

He glared at her thunderously, while she casually cleaned her paws, ignoring him as only a cat could. "Yes, well, while I appreciate that, your order has had many dealings with me over the centuries that my nature should be quite clear... and yet no one, not even your father, has discerned my nature yet. It's quite the riddle, to them, and perhaps I will repay some of the rudeness you likely suffered from my daughter by allowing you the honor of presenting your order with the answer to a 2000-year-old question. Or keep it a secret; as you wish."

I smiled. "As a member of the crew, shouldn't my loyalty be to you and this ship?"

He laughed heartily, making several people glance up at us, then go back to work. "No, my boy! You are a Hunter of the Red Cross, we would never ask you to betray your brothers in even the smallest of manners! And, you have only been here for less than a day!!! Why would we ask loyalty of a soul who has only called the Ironheart Home for one night?!?"

"I... I only meant that you would want me to treat the crew as Brothers, and that they would be at my side for these years together, and I should therefore be at theirs, and yours especially." I frowned.

He shook his head calmly. "No, this ship is not a Religious Order or a Cult; it is a military institution, that's all. There is a strict chain of command, -myself, the Captain, First Mate, the Navigator, the Quartermaster, and then the Deckmaster and the Gunnery Master,- as well as basic rules and etiquette, -you'll be taught those soon enough,- and decent pay, -four haepennies a fortnight, at your current rank of Boatswain,- and a very un-decent amount of violence involved in our business, -the trafficking and interception of messages and refugees of various kinds,- all of which also requires an unnaturally high degree of discretion. I'm sure you understand this need completely, yes?" He glanced over his glasses, and then straightened them, looking out at the clouds, which decided to start twisting, apparently, which didn't look very good.

"Understood, Doctor... Uhm, Are those clouds... twisting?" I asked slowly.

"Yes, they are... curious. A southerly wind this time of year is normal, but a northern gale as well... curious..." he began muttering now in Greek, taking extensive notes.

"Should we... do anything?" I questioned carefully, still unnerved.

"Not especially." He smiled easily, and glanced away at a white puff of fire from the distant lighthouse. "Ah, and now we leave with the tide, good timing... you may wish to warn the Captain and Navigator that they only have a few more minutes until they are required at their posts... I imagine simply through the door will manage." He nodded a dismissal, and I swiftly dismounted the railing, jogging inside to do as he bid with only minor staggering.