The Staff of Naught by Tom Liberman

this is all about. Just water that ran over the thing infected the entire Salt Fen. Dredogastus didn’t track years much so he didn’t know how long it was but it’s been almost thirty years since the wreck according to what I found. Thirty years of death seeping into the Great Salt Fen. Dredogastus said it didn’t used to be so bad in there but now there is death everywhere. All the creatures that lived there over the years, so many years, since the world was born, they’re all coming back as dead creatures and the Priests of Smyrnala have control over most of the fen. That’s what Dredogastus told me, what he showed me.”
    “Show you?”
    “I had to see for myself,” said Tanner with a shrug of his shoulders. “Lousa said to find out what I could.”
    At the mention of Lousa’s name Almara’s face went sour as if she had to spit out a gristly piece of meat. “I don’t like that woman.”
    “She’s all right Almara,” said Tanner and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. “You know I like a woman with a little more meat on her bones than that skinny little half-elf.”
    “She’s skinny but she’s got huge boobs!” said Shalalee not particularly helping matters.
    Shamki chuckled which sounded more like a growl and looked away as Almara gave him a look with her eyes almost closed in a squint and her nose wrinkled up.
    “I know that look,” said Tylan finally caught up to the wagon. “What did you do Shamki?”
    Tanner and Shalalee immediately started to laugh, after a moment Shamki and Humbort joined them, and even Almara struggled to keep quiet.
    “The fen is overrun with worshippers of Smyrnala according to Dredogastus and he took me back into them, not far, but enough to see.”
    “See what?” asked Shalalee.
    The merchant shook his head and wiped his brow, “Things you don’t want to see. Dead things eating living things, squirrels, even insects, dead flies, dead maggots, dead things. Now it makes sense. This staff of death, tainting the waters of the fen for thirty years bringing decay and death.”
    “What does naught mean?” asked Shalalee
    “Nothing, the Staff of Nothing,” said Shamki his deep bass voice seemed to intone solemnity to the pronouncement that hung in the air for long moments.
    “Not like nothing at all,” said Tylan.
    “No, not that kind of nothing,” replied Tanner. “So, Lousa’s got this staff now and she wants to talk to me before I talk to the mayor?”
    Shamki nodded his head.
    “She knows the mayor will find out I’m in town and I’ll have to report to him in any case, right?”
    Shamki shrugged.
    “Where is Lousa with the staff?”
    “Iv’s Leap,” said Shamki.
    Shalalee’s eyes widened at the mention of the location, “That’s where he jumped off because he loved Miralee!”
    “That’s just a stupid girl’s story,” said Tylan and pushed his sister as he climbed back into wagon.
    “Actually,” said Tanner. “That one is real although I’m not sure he made the leap simply for love, stupidity might have had something to do with it.”
    “Stupidity and love are related to each other,” said Almara and put her arm around her husband. “Do you remember that fellow I dated back in Cap when we first met?”
    “You dated someone besides dad?” asked Shalalee and looked at her mother with raised eyebrows.
    “Yes, your father and I had lives before we met each other and before you were born as shocking as that might be.”
    “What happened to the other guy?” asked Tylan of his father.
    “It was nothing,” said Tanner but could not help the wide grin that came across his face. “You were a saucy little wench back then. What was the name of that tavern?”
    “You met in a tavern?” said Shalalee.
    “You were a bar wench?” asked Tylan and the wagon erupted in a babble of questions, denials, and half denials.
     
Chapter 9
    Unerus swung from the rocks above Iv’s Leap as was his morning ritual. The birds by now recognized what time of