Oscagne was staring at her in absolute horror.
4
The soil on the western side of the Isle of Tega was thin and rocky, and since there was plenty of fertile ground farther inland, the citizens of the Republic had made no effort to cultivate here. Tough, scrubby bushes rustled stiffly in the onshore breeze as Sparhawk and his friends rode along a rocky trail leading to the coast.
The breeze helps, Talen observed gratefully. At least it blows away that stink.
You complain too much, Flute told him. The little girl rode with Sephrenia as she had since they had first encountered her. She nestled in her older sisters arms with her dark eyes brooding. She straightened suddenly as the sound of surf pounding on the western shore of the Isle reached them. This is far enough for right now, gentlemen, she told them. Lets have some supper and wait for it to get dark.
Is that a good idea? Bevier asked her. The grounds been getting rougher the farther west we come, and the sound of that surf seems to have rocks mixed up in it. This might not be a good place to be blundering around in the dark.
I can lead you safely to the beach, Bevier, she told him. I dont want you gentlemen to get too good a look at our ship. There are certain ideas involved in her construction that you dont need to know. Thats one of the promises I had to make during those negotiations I was telling you about. She pointed to the lee-side of a rocky hillock. Lets go over there out of this wind and build a fire. I have some instructions for you. They rode away from the ill-defined trail and dismounted in the shelter of the hill.
Whose turn is it to do the cooking? Berit asked Sir Ulath.
Yours, Ulath told him with no hint of a smile.
You knew he was going to do that, Berit, Talen said. What you just did was almost the same thing as volunteering.
Berit shrugged. My turn will come up eventually anyway, he said. I thought Id get it out of the way for a while.
Is that a good idea? Bevier asked her. The grounds been getting rougher the farther west we come, and the sound of that surf seems to have rocks mixed up in it. This might not be a good place to be blundering around in the dark.
I can lead you safely to the beach, Bevier, she told him. I dont want you gentlemen to get too good a look at our ship. There are certain ideas involved in her construction that you dont need to know. Thats one of the promises I had to make during those negotiations I was telling you about. She pointed to the lee-side of a rocky hillock. Lets go over there out of this wind and build a fire. I have some instructions for you. They rode away from the ill-defined trail and dismounted in the shelter of the hill.
Whose turn is it to do the cooking? Berit asked Sir Ulath.
Yours, Ulath told him with no hint of a smile.
You knew he was going to do that, Berit, Talen said. What you just did was almost the same thing as volunteering.
Berit shrugged. My turn will come up eventually anyway, he said. I thought Id get it out of the way for a while.
All right, gentlemen, Vanion said, lets look around and see what we can find in the way of firewood. Sparhawk concealed a smile. Vanion could maintain that he was no longer the Preceptor as much as he wished, but the habit of command was deeply ingrained in him.
They built a fire, and Berit stirred up an acceptable stew. After supper, they sat by the fire watching as evening slowly settled in.
Now then, Flute said to them, were going to ride down to a cove. I want you all to stay close behind me, because its going to be very foggy.
Its a perfectly clear evening, Flute, Kalten objected.
It wont be when we reach the cove, she told him. Im going to make sure that you dont get too much chance to examine that ship. Im not really supposed to do this, so dont get me into trouble. She looked sternly at Khalad. And I want you in particular to keep a very tight rein on your curiosity.
Me?
Yes, you. Youre too practical and too clever by half for my comfort. Your noble friends here arent imaginative enough to make any educated guesses about the ship. Youre a different matter. Dont be digging at the decks with your knife, and dont try to sneak off to examine things. I dont want to drop by Cimmura someday and find a duplicate of the ship anchored in the river. Well go down to the cove, board the ship, and go directly below. You will not go up on deck until we get to where were going. A certain part of the ship has been set aside for us, and well all stay there for the duration of the voyage. I want your word on that, gentlemen.
Sparhawk could see some differences between Flute and Danae. Flute was more authoritarian, for one thing, and she didnt seem to have Danaes whimsical sense of humor. Although the Child Goddess had a definite personality, each of her incarnations seemed to have its own idiosyncrasies. Flute looked up at the slowly darkening sky. Well wait another hour, she decided. The crew of the ship has been told to stay away from us. Our meals will be put just outside the door, and we wont see the one who puts them there. It wont do you any good to try to catch her, so dont even try.
Her? Ulath exclaimed. Are you trying to say that there are women in the crew?
Theyre all females. There arent very many males where they come from.
Women arent strong enough to raise and lower the sails, he objected.
These females are ten times stronger than you are, Ulath, and it wouldnt matter anyway, because the ship doesnt have sails. Please stop asking questions, gentlemen. Oh, one other thing. Therell be a sort of humming sound when we get under way. Its normal, so dont let it alarm you.
How... Ulath began.
She held up her hand. No more questions, Ulath, she told him quite firmly. You dont need to know the answers. The ships here to take us from one place to another in a hurry. Thats all you need to know.
That brings us to something we really should know, Sparhawk said. Where are we going?
To Jorsan on the west coast of Edam, she replied. Well, almost, anyway. Theres a long gulf leading inland to Jorsan. Well put ashore at the mouth of the gulf and go inland on horseback. Now, why dont we talk about something else?
The fog seemed almost thick enough to walk on, and the knights were obliged to blindly follow the misty light of the torch Sephrenia held aloft as they rode down a steep bank toward the sound of unseen surf.
They reached a sandy beach and groped their way down toward the water. Then they saw other lights out in the fog filmy, mist-shrouded lights which stretched out for what seemed an impossible distance. The lights did not flicker, and they were the wrong color for torchlight.
Good God. Ulath choked. No ship could be that big!
Ulath. Flute said sharply from out of the fog ahead.
Sorry, he mumbled.
When they reached the waters edge, all they could see was a dark, looming shape lying low in the water several yards out, a shape outlined by those unwinking white lights. A ramp reached from the ship to the beach, and Chiel, Sephrenias white palfrey, stepped confidently onto That ramp and clattered across to the ship.
There were dim, shrouded shapes on the deck, cloaked and hooded figures that were all no more than shoulder high, but strangely squat and blocky.
What do we do with the horses? Vanion asked as they all dismounted.
Just leave them here, Flute replied. Theyll be taken care of. Lets go below. We cant start until everybodys off the deck.
The crew stays up here, dont they? Ulath asked her.
No. Its too dangerous.
They went to a rectangular hatchway in the deck and followed an inclined ramp leading down.
Stairs would take up less space, Khalad said critically.
The crew couldnt use stairs, Khalad, Flute told him. They dont have legs. He stared at her in horror. I told you that theyre not human, she shrugged.
The companionway they reached at the bottom of the ramp was low, and the knights had to half stoop as they followed the Child Goddess aft. The area below decks was illuminated by pale glowing spots of light recessed into the ceiling and covered over by what appeared to be glass. The light was steady, unwinking, and it definitely did not come from any kind of fire. The quarters to which their little guide led them were more conventionally illuminated by candles, however, and the ceilings were high enough for the tall knights to stand erect. No sooner had Ulath closed the heavy door to what was in effect to be their prison for the next five days than a low-pitched humming sound began to vibrate in the deck beneath their feet, and they could feel the bow of the strange vessel start to swing ponderously about to point at the open sea. Then the ship surged forward.
Whats making it move? Kalten asked. Theres no wind.
Kalten. Aphrael said sharply.
Sorry. he mumbled.
There are four compartments here, she told them. Well eat in this one, and we can spread out and sleep in the other three. Put away your belongings, gentlemen. Then you might as well go to bed. Nothings going to happen for five days.
Sparhawk and Kalten went into one of the cabins, taking Talen with them. Talen was carrying Khalads saddle-bags as well as his own.
Sparhawk and Kalten went into one of the cabins, taking Talen with them. Talen was carrying Khalads saddle-bags as well as his own.
Whats your brother up to? Sparhawk asked the boy suspiciously.
He wants to look around a bit, Talen replied.
Aphrael told him not to do that.
So?
They all staggered a bit as the ship gave another forward surge. The humming sound climbed to a whine, and the ship seemed to rise up in the water almost like a sitting man rising to his feet.
Kalten threw his saddle-bags onto one of the bunks and sat down beside them. I dont understand any of this, he grumbled.
You arent supposed to, Sparhawk replied.
I wonder if theyve got anything to drink aboard. I could definitely use a drink about now.
I wouldnt get my hopes up too high, and Im not sure youd care to drink something brewed by non-humans. It might do some strange things to you.
Khalad came into the tiny compartment, his eyes baffled. I dont want to alarm you, gentlemen, he said, but were moving faster than a horse can run.