The Fumbling Rescuer

When they all assembled in the stern, they found the skiff had weathered the upper passage without serious damage.

"Somebody's going to have to man the bailing pump for a while to empty us of all the water that swept in," said Northrond, "but the hull is still sound, the masts are still solid, and she still answers her tiller."

"There's damned little food left," Lord Paramour commented. "One keg of ship's biscuit seems to have survived, and there are still some fish sloshing around in the hold. The nets are gone, but I found two hand rods. Somebody's going to have to fish most of the time."

"We lost three water casks and one got smashed when we took that last wave," Princess Valeria reported. "That leaves us only one cask. I checked the water in that one, and it's still fresh."

"The fire pot went over the side with the rest of the galley," said Ambloq. "That means raw fish and no fire to boil water for tea."

"Even if nothing stops us, we have a two-day run to Caravestria," said Northrond. "That doesn't leave us much leeway before you have to report for the trial."

"There's no help for it, we have no time to stop for supplies," said Ambloq. "We'll just have to ration what we have."

"Is there anything else we can jettison to make the skiff lighter?" asked Njal. "We're still riding low in the water."

"I still don't dare throw over the ships tools, spare sails, and spars," said the skipper. 

"What about the blacksmith's kit?" asked Senta. "Surely you don't think we're going to have to do metal work."

"And we've already lost the charcoal," Krimhild put in.

Northrond reluctantly nodded his head, and Lord Paramour, Eldon, and Ambloq labored to heave the extra weight over.

"Oh!" Glitchby suddenly exclaimed, "I know the answer." He reached into his pouch belt and pulled out a dried caterpillar cocoon.

"Hey, what are you up to," Ambloq exclaimed as Glitchby began chanting and gesturing towards the princess.

Glitchby doggedly stuck to his chant and finished with a dramatic flourish before his father could leap across the deck to knock him down. The Princess, with a look of horror, found herself enveloped in a dense purple smoke. When it cleared she was no longer there, but on the deck flopped a frantic butterfly fish.

"Now see what you did." Glitchby turned furiously on Lord Paramour. "You upset my incantation and I turned her into a fish instead of a butterfly."  He darted to the fish, caught it by its gauzy tail, and flung it over the side. "Swim after the ship," he bellowed as it fell.

"You idiot, you've thrown the Princess overboard," roared Lord Paramour.

Young Mardjan lost his grip on the rigging and plunged toward the deck, only saving himself at the last moment by catching a shroud and braking his fall with blistered hands.

"She'd have died out here in the air," was the answer.

"Blockhead, there's plenty of water in the bilges to keep her alive. Now who's going to keep the next dogfish that comes along from eating her." snarled his Lordship.

Prince Mardjan thudded upon the deck, pulled his jeweled dagger and plunged at Glitchby.

Eldon caught and disarmed him before he could strike.

"Hold on, we'll save her," he said. "Don't lose your head."

The boy tried to scream something, but choked on his own sobs.

"Quick, Glitchby," Ambloq demanded. "Can you cast that metamorph spell again?"

"Oh yes, I have three of them." He pulled out another cocoon. "I was going to turn the three ladies into butterflies and lighten the load," he explained.

"Of all the damned moronic things to do!" Lord Paramour fumed.

"Quick, turn me into a dolphin." Ambloq ignored the furious lord. "I can swim along and protect her. She'll know I'm a friend when I plunge off the skiff."

Everybody held his breath till the incantation was over and the massive grey dolphin set the skiff rocking wildly as he heaved himself over the side.

"All right," said Krimhild, "You might as well use the last cocoon. Make me a dolphin too. You're not going to separate me from my husband." She glared at him so fiercely that he cringed as he pulled out his spell component, and in a trice another plunging dolphin rocked the skiff.

"Well, so much for the water rationing," sighed Northrond.