by C. Litka
02
The boat was equipped with a fairly sophisticated "bug eye" navigational device, so I had Naylea take the helm while I set it up, and then, altered our course to put Blade Island right in the brightest spot in the sky. That would give us an accurate way of finding our way back when the time came to turn around if we couldn't follow our pursuers back.
Our lighter load put the general chase half a dozen kilometers behind us within several hours, by which time the small boats had abandoned the chase and headed back to the island. Only the three big Temtre ships continued on. Once they built up a full head of steam and set their sails, they started to very slowly gain on us even with the little engine running flat out and burning through black-cake at a rather alarming pace.
They were still chasing us when I turned over the helm to Py. I hung about, showing him how to steer using the bug eye, how to keep an eye on the pressure gauge and when to feed the boiler, since it now appeared we were in for a long chase. Naylea was forward, either meditating or napping. The dragons were napping - something they do a lot when they're bored.
'I'm sorry I brought this all on, Wilitang,' said Py.
'You?'
'If I had expressed myself as clearly as I thought I did, they would not be chasing us.'
'I'm sure you did just fine. It is the message, not the messenger, they didn't like.'
He glanced at the three ships behind us. 'It seems that they're not too fond of the messenger either.'
'They're only three ships out of 200. They may not represent the true response.'
'There were a lot more than three boats out looking for us. The whole clan seemed to be out for our blood. Perhaps we should've tried a different approach. One that didn't challenge them so openly.'
I shrugged. 'I doubt spreading rumors would have succeeded in deterring the clan-chiefs with DinDay harking back to the grand old days. Let's hope this is just an instinctive response. Once the clan-chiefs have time to read the full text of the message and calmly consider its implications, they'll see the risks they'd run if they embarked on a raid and will give DinDay's raid a miss. They may not like the message and what it means for the future, but they're not all fools.'
'Besides, Naylea and I could well be the cause of this,' I added. 'We treated them rather roughly the last time we were here and they no doubt feel it was very presumptuous of us to return to demand that they now mend their age-old ways or face destruction. DeKan might have admired Naylea's boldness - and with their friendship - would certainly have considered the message carefully. But with him gone, well? In any event, you delivered the Order's message to the entire clan - which is what you were charged to do. Whether or not they heed it, is out of your hands.'
'Our mission was to prevent bloodshed, both SaraDal and Temtre blood. It appears somewhat doubtful that we'll succeed.'