As Easy as Lighting Wet Wood with a Candle

"I won't have it," Lady Nimmo said with her hands on her hips. "There has to be another way." The mighty victor over shadow elves and dragons sought an edge in this argument but found none.

"But there isn't," Trungen said without emotion. "I will hammer the cork into place. You three will sail to the fleet."

"I won't leave you behind, and I'm not leaving the stumpers." Battle scenes flashed through her mind. Dragons shooting fire-bolts. Stumpers on fire. A shadow elf slicing her father's face with a knife.

"The stumpers and I will be fine."

"With those dragons?" Lady Nimmo shook her head. "I don't think so."

Jor and Captain Arrow stood quietly while the ladies fought. Jor knew changing his daughter's mind would be as easy as lighting wet wood with a candle, but he butted in any way. "Alright, ladies, that's enough. We can't do anything about the stumpers. We would need several ships, and those dragons aren't going to let that happen." The ladies remained silent. "I will place the cork. It's my duty as your father and captain of the Duchess's Guard."

Lady Nimmo stared at her father. He stared back - neither giving an inch. She teared up and immediately felt angry with herself for her weakness. Jor teared up, unable to remain stern. Her tears always broke him.

"Excuse me," Captain Arrow said. "I know I'm the new guy, but I have an idea."

The staring contest pushed everything from their minds, including recent pirate friends. Both contestants' facial expressions said, "Who are you?"

"Ok, hear me out," he cleared his throat. "We'll tie a rope to the underwater boat and attach the other end to a long plank. I'll hammer in the cork. You all row out, and I'll ride the plank." He grinned and beamed, "Not too shabby for a two-legged pirate."

"The dragons will see you and blow your two-legged butt out of the water," Jor said.

"Uh, yes. I did forget about them. Let's see. Maybe I could hold my breath and ride under the plank."

The argument circled, going nowhere. As the impasse grew, frustration rose, and a compromise appeared hopeless.

A couple of dragons holding white sheets flew overhead, landing just outside bowshot range, adding a few hundred yards to be safe. Waving the sheets, they cried parley. 

The argument stopped when they noticed the dragons overhead. However, they could not hear them. The dragons shouted again. This time, they heard and shouted back their agreement. They marched with stumpers flanking each side. The delegates faced each other.

The dragons congratulated Lady Nimmo on her recent victory over them. She bowed and accepted the somewhat awkward praise. The dragons wasted no time getting to the reason for their parley. They proposed an alliance similar to the one made with the shadow elves: their protection for treasure.

"I would agree, but unfortunately, I don't have any," Lady Nimmo said. She remained stone-faced, unwilling to let the dragons see her excitement. This could be the answer: a way for everyone to leave together.

The dragons clawed the ground, disappointment written on their faces. They needed a reason to ally with Lady Nimmo. The tension between the Wa-Gi and the Fa-To clans has grown to an all-time high. The Wa-Gi wanted nothing to do with the shadow elves, but the Fa-To coerced them into it, costing them several of their own. The cusp of war approached, and allying with Lady Nimmo could tip the scale in their favor.

"That's not entirely accurate," Captain Arrow said.

"Which part?" Lady Nimmo asked.

"The treasure part. You see, I have a few chests up there," he pointed to a mountain. "And I will give them to you."

"We can't let you." Lady Nimmo didn't want to owe political favors to anyone. Or, at least, that's what she told herself. "It's yours, you simply can't."

Captain Arrow grinned, "You're right, it is mine. So, I can give it to whomever I want. And I want to give it to you." He looked at Lady Nimmo; her knees, legs, and arms went weak. She could no longer convince herself it had anything to do with politics. He turned to the dragons, "I had a smoke-dragon friend help me last time. Will you guys help me get it down?"

"Not just us. Our entire clan will help."

"Wonderful. Then we have a deal?"

The pair of dragons nodded. "But we are obligated to inform you. The Fa-To clan is not part of this alliance."

"The Fa-foo-who?"

"We broke from them after you defeated us. Your alliance is with the Wa-Gi."

"Well, I'm glad you mentioned that," Captain Arrow said. He turned back to the others, asking what they should do. The party agreed half the dragons were better than none.

"Alright. Let's plan on meeting in an hour."

They nodded and flew off. The four stood dumbfounded. They could not have come up with a better plan. They might have a chance of getting off this island together. Well, assuming the Fa-To clan doesn't interfere.

Everyone helped extract the treasure. The dragons flew Captain Arrow and some stumpers to the small cave entrance. They pulled out the chests. The dragons carried the chests down. The stumpers on the ground counted the loot. The process went smoothly until all hades broke loose.

The Fa-To clan flew in hot with mouths blazing, strafing the stumpers on the ground. Trungen reacted like lightning. Spinning her staff so quickly that it looked like a shield, she deflected several fire bolts into the attacking dragons. Lady Nimmo fired arrow after arrow, hitting wings and tails. Despite Jor's injured shoulder, the magic inside took over. His sword glowed red, and his eyes caught fire. The pain in his shoulder disappeared.

A Fa-To landed, clawing stumpers, sending them flying with his tail and spitting fire bolts. One hit a stumper at point-blank range, and he exploded into a pile of burnt splinters. Jor rushed the dragon. The dragon faced him and smiled. He fired several bolts. Jor swung his sword and disintegrated each one. He closed the distance, ducked claws, and spun with a backhand swing. The fiery blade sliced off the head of the beast.

A dogfight between the clans filled the air. Fire-bolts lit the sky. Dragons were diving, rolling, slicing, attempting to shake the pursuer or to stay on his tail.

Captain Arrow stood helpless at the cave entrance. He ventured out over the ledge, searching for a way to get to Lady Nimmo. A Fa-To saw him and attacked. Fire bolts exploded around him, pulverizing rocks and sending dust clouds around him.

"Not good! Not good!" Captain Arrow dropped to all fours, blinded by the dust. The stumpers ran onto the ledge and pulled him back into the cave.

The battle moved to the air. The ground troops could do nothing but watch.

"If the Fa-To win, be ready," Jor said. He told Trungen to signal the stumpers to form squares.

Lady Nimmo couldn't stop staring at Jor's eyes, "I know this isn't the time, but we are going to talk about those eyes."

The aerial battle raged, and dragons fell from the sky. The ground force couldn't tell one clan from another, so they refrained from shooting arrows. One of the Wa-Gi negotiators landed and raised his arms in peace.

"No one shoot! He's one of ours!" Jor said. "How goes the battle?"

"We need your help," the Wa-Gi struggled to regain his breath. "We're going to move the battle back. I'll fain a retreat, and we'll fly over your heads, appearing to escape. When they pursue, we'll turn and light them up after we pass. You all join with your arrows. Together, we'll crush them."

The stumpers positioned themselves into three waves as they watched the nearing battle, Lady Nimmo standing with them. The Wa-Gi yelled retreat, and the entire clan flew straight down and pulled up only feet from the ground. The Fa-To chased. When the Wa-Gi passed over the stumpers, they immediately turned around and fired. The stumpers released their arrows. The Fa-To stared at a wall of death, realizing too late it was a trap. Most fell wounded. A few fell dead. The lucky ones abandoned the island, never to return.

Captain Arrow peeked from the cave, "Is it over? I say, can one of you help us down? Hello?"

The air cleared of smoke. Lady Nimmo and her band stood side by side with Wa-Gi dragons. A moment of unease passed through everyone, but it wasn't warranted. The Wa-Gi stayed true to their word.

"We intend to ask Captain Wington to bring his fleet to evacuate us. Will you let them dock?" Lady Nimmo asked.

They promised not to bother the ships. They grabbed their treasure, said their goodbyes, and flew to their mountain nests.

Lady Nimmo, Jor, and Trungen entered the underwater boat. Electing to wait with the stumpers, Captain Arrow hammered the cork into place.

The craft entered deeper water and sank a few feet under the waves, leaving only the vertical spyglass above. They left the Eye of Duran with Captain Arrow, figuring it would motivate the Selwyn navy to return quickly. Not that they didn't trust Captain Wington, but Jor believed in helping others be trustworthy.

In a week, the Selwyn navy arrived. The Wa-Gi stayed out of sight. Lady Nimmo personally attended to the loading of her stumpers. The sailors had never seen one and felt uneasy with the magical stumps. But after the stumpers insisted on rowing – work being one of their most loved activities, the sailors quickly warmed up to them.

After everyone boarded, the fleet disembarked.

That evening, on the deck of the White Tsunami, Lady Nimmo and Captain Arrow stood watching the sunset. The sea gently swayed, and sunbeams danced along the water.

"So, what's your plans? Going pirating again?" Lady Nimmo asked as casually as possible.

"No, my days of pirating are over."

Lady Nimmo's heart skipped a beat or two, perhaps a dozen.

"I'm leaving the sea. I was thinking I'd try a more quiet place to live. I've heard forests can be very quiet."

"You're only saying that because you've never lived in one," Lady Nimmo said.

"Oh, I forgot. You live in a forest. So, tell me. Does a two-legged pirate have a chance in a forest?"

Both hearts pounded, but their faces remained stoic, neither wanting to reveal their desire.

"Oh, I guess you'd last a few weeks."

The sun dipped into the water, throwing out its last blushing-orange beams, almost like it blushed for the couple who weren't ready to blush. Well, at least in front of each other.