On board the Maris Stella, port of
Reinascienza, Caligari Island, 24 Octavus 1668
Dearest Melisandre,
As you will see from this letter's
post mark, I find myself once more in the Vodacce Keys. Moreover,
I find the world is tumbling about my ears. When I last wrote you,
I believed my mission almost accomplished; I had but to deliver the captured
cargo of Syrneth artefacts to Captain Allende. I sailed west, until
the point where navigator Velik Galecatcher took over the task of navigation
to guide us to the Straits of Blood.
Alas, upon reaching our appointed
meeting co-ordinates, we met with a battered, limping Hanged Man
and received terrible news: while he was doing battle with Reis himself
on the deck of the Crimson Roger, Captain Allende had been struck
in the back by his own first officer Alesio and captured by the loathsome
Reis! The Hanged Man's bosun Sean McCorley told me the story
with bitter anger. The Hanged Man had been dismasted and unable
to pursue. Even now, the ship was barely able to sail with a spare
topmast used in lieu of a main mast.
I thought I would faint with
horror at the thought that the Captain might be dead already. But
I held on to the alternate thought that he had been alive when the
Crimson
Roger sailed away. We had to rescue him, but first the Hanged
Man needed to effect repairs; my own Maris Stella was not in
the best of shapes either, still damaged from our boarding action against
the Dauphin. We sailed together to an uninhabited island where
the work could be done safely, while I pondered where to go next.
We knew the last heading of the Crimson Roger, roughly southeast,
but that was scant help. Yet it was the only start I had.
As soon as possible, the Hanged
Man and the Maris Stella sailed off again in search of the enemy.
We expanded our search radius as far as possible with the lookouts of the
two vessels barely able to see each other. We were perhaps a hundred
leagues off the coast of Castille with the Hanged Man far to
starboard of us when we saw a fleut approach to larboard. I was alarmed
at first, thinking the Dauphin back to attack us again (though how,
since I had sold it!) but I could just barely make out a Castillan flag
and a figure dressed in purple... I believe it is an outfit you have
encountered before, as have I: El Vago was on board! The vessel approached
us and I was able to read its name, La Venganza.
The masked man hopped on our
deck like a cat and asked to speak to me; he brought the message that Reis
had handed Captain Allende over to Prince Vincenzo Caligari. The
Captain had then been taken to Caligari Island to be tortured! I
confess, I felt an urge to take my anger and grief on the messenger: why
did he not stop this himself? But I had no time. We parted
company, I had a signal flown for the Hanged
Man to come back with all haste, and explained to McCorley what I had
just learned. Packing on all sail, we set a course for Vodacce.
I decided it was time to gather
all the meagre assets I could find. I broke open the three cases
containing the captured Syrneth artefacts, hoping that whatever Prince
Caligari wanted could be used against him. Inside the crates, I found
three small cannons, about fifty pounds each, fitted with lenses of green
crystal where the mouth should be. During our trip east, I studied
the objects and managed to repair two of them; the third was beyond my
abilities but was used for spare parts. They are made of a strange
clockwork mechanism, and unleash an amazing power of destruction.
I am fairly confident I can put them to good use.
Leaving the Hanged Man
hidden in a safe anchorage, I decided to first stop by Dionna again to
try to learn something of Caligari Island before setting foot there.
I did not wish to put myself further into Prince Giovanni Villanova's debt;
instead I applied to the Explorers' Society for help, where a lady I had
met before, Madeline du Bisset, was in charge of the small chapterhouse.
I represented to her that Prince Caligari's interests were systematically
contrary to the Society's and it was in her interest to help me.
She is a very busy, distracted, and to be honest, curt and impatient person.
Finally, she gave me some books that were of little help, and promised
to find me a guide. Of course, I should not be surprised that she
then turned to Prince Villanova to ask for help. When she announced
this at our next meeting, I knew exactly who the guide would be.
Indeed, upon hearing him knock, I bid signor Sebastiano enter, and he did
– grinning.
I told him as much of the story
as I dared: that a friend of mine had been captured by Vincenzo Caligari,
and was being held prisoner on Caligari Island; and that I wish to free
him. We discussed how this could be done, and I asked him if perhaps
we could find a Strega to follow the thread between my friend and I to
locate him. Sebastiano promised to find such a witch. He boarded
the Maris Stella accompanied by a frail, veiled form whom I recognized
as Lucretta Biancastro, the woman I had saved from drowning earlier in
the year. She is a Fate Witch and Sebastiano's stepmother, a slip
of a girl of about seventeen.
We set sail, and rejoined the
Hanged
Man to sail for Caligari Island. I have tried to prepare as best
I can for what is ahead; Sebastiano has been gracious enough to give me
fencing lessons, although I am far from brilliant. I wrote this letter
for you en route, and I will drop it in the post in Reinascienza; again,
you will know what became of me if things go sour. I plan on having
the Hanged Man hide again in a cove while I sail into port and go
ashore to reconnoitre the area. I hope to find out a bit more about
the prince's estate and how difficult it is to access it. I have
transferred the Syrneth clockwork cannons on board the Hanged Man
in case my vessel is captured in Reinascienza. I have no wish to
deliver these weapons to the prince myself. I have asked Rodrigo,
Vincente, and Didi to help me, and they have remained on board the Maris
Stella.
Pray for me that I will be able
to free the Captain. I cannot bear the thought of failing him.
I remain as ever,
Your affectionate friend,
Constanza Orduño
