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“Alistair – your leg is almost touching mine. Remove it.”
“And where would you rather me put it?” He asked her. “At the bottom of the lake?”
“That would be most preferable.” Morrigan retorted, still staring out over the water’s edge.
Alistair scowled at her. He thought that her wish might not be that far off, considering how the boat they were on was tripping and lurching under the immense weight of their party. Why they couldn’t have taken two boats, or made two trips across the lake was beyond him. But beggars can’t be choosers, he supposed.
“Why does it allow that one to speak to it in such a way?” Shale asked him.
“Because I prefer not to be fried into crispy Alistair bits,” he replied over his shoulder. The giant stone golem sat in the middle of the precariously floating boat, its sharp crystals jutting against Alistair’s back and legs. They kept being twisted into an awkward and uncomfortable sitting position because there was so little room left for him. He found he was caught between a rock and a hard spot – said hard spot being the kindest way he could describe his feelings towards Morrigan.
The warden, Breynna, was perched at the head of the boat, staring ahead at the looming Circle Tower with what was either awe or a concentrated will to block out the constant bickering of her companions. Alistair gazed up at the Warden, watching as the sea breeze blew through her blonde hair. She absentmindedly tucked it behind her ear but the wind kept dislodging it. A flicker of annoyance crossed her serene face before she recomposed herself. Alistair smiled at this.
He would have continued smiling at this had the boat not tipped violently throwing him off balance. The great stone golem had stood quickly, pitching the boat into a precarious fight for flotation. Morrigan shout and cussed behind him as Alistair tipped forward and landed in a puddle of cold lake water. An oar shot up and there came an angry series of commands from the front of the boat.
“It must be prepared to defend against any enemies, even as it travels,” Shale explained, pointing at a small circling black bird overhead. Morrigan sneered from her spot and Breynna snapped at them all to be quiet. Alistair found her stern gaze resting on him, as if he had any control over this monster he had had explicitly against bringing along. He chuckled to himself for he had meant Shale, but in hindsight the description fit Morrigan just as well.
“’Tis only a tern,” Morrigan said sharply. “We have more to fear from this lake that you seem intent on tossing us into.”
“Shale, sit down.” He reached up and put a hand on the golem’s arm. “Carefully.”
When all was settled again, Alistair noticed the water in the bottom of the boat. Shale didn’t mind the water and Morrigan had her feet perched up against one side to keep them from getting wet. His own robe and boots however were soaked right through, heavy and cold. There were ripples like small waves within the pooling water that rose and fell with the water that still lapped over the boat edges as the water outside them swelled. Since neither of the other companions seemed much concerned with the rising water, he took it upon himself to bail out the boat. He tipped his shield on its back and scooped up what water he could, awkward as the motion might have been in the confined space. He tossed the water over the side and back into the depths where it belonged.
As he extended his arms out to toss another scoop of water, he caught Breynna’s look. She was scanning the horizon back the way they had come, but her eyes locked onto his for a moment. Thank you, she mouthed, before turning back to her navigation ahead.
Upon fishing his task – for the time being – Alistair sat down once more on the wooden perch, twisting his appendages back into the only locations they would fit. This time, he found that he didn’t mind quite so much.