First Comes The One Who Wanders

by Lynette S. Jones

  “For now. You were fairly amazing back there.”

  “Back there? Have we moved on? How long have I been unconscious?”

  “You’ve been unconscious for three days. We’re on the outskirts of Far Reef.” Erion paused briefly then continued with an odd look on his face. “I’ve found a captain who’s willing to take us to Crogmanland.”

  Leilas eyed him suspiciously. “What’s that going to cost us?”

  “You,” he said sheepishly. “You’re going to be the ship’s crafter on this trip.”

  “Good to know I volunteered,” said Leilas darkly. “I could use some real food.”

  “There’s an inn nearby. I thought it might cause some unwanted attention to bring in an unconscious crafter.”

  “Probably so,” said Leilas, finishing the stale bread. She attempted to stand and would have fallen except for Erion’s steadying arms. How far is this inn?”

  Erion laughed, picked her up easily and deposited her on her horse. “It’s but a dozen steps and I’ll be by your side, my lady.”

  Leilas clung to the saddle and let her horse follow Erion’s into town. She sat still while he secured the horses and then slid down into his strong arms. It might have been an awkward moment, had she not been so intent on not falling all the way to the ground. Erion wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a brotherly fashion and helped her into the eating area of the inn. She sank into the first available chair, while he arranged for food. Wiping the perspiration from her upper lip, Leilas hoped she didn’t look as ill as she felt. It wasn’t wise to expend as much energy as she had on a battle. She hadn’t realized how much energy she would use sneaking through a ring of protection and casting a spell only with her mind. She would have to be more careful in the future.

  Erion came to the table, followed by a servant boy bearing a plate of food. He’d barely set them on the table before Leilas attacked the food ravenously. “Keep bringing food until my friend here says he’s had enough,” Erion instructed the boy, addressing his food more leisurely. The boy bowed awkwardly and scurried away from the strange looking pair.

  Far Reef was a port town, but a very small port town. They entertained the occasional crafter on their way to or from somewhere. They even boasted that two crafter’s had been born there. It was unusual though, to see an elf and a crafter, whose insignia was a mystery, traveling together.

  By the second plateful of food, Leilas had slowed her eating pace down to normal. Her energy was returning. “Tell me about this ship we’re taking across the sea,” she said to Erion, as she ate.

  “Its name is the Silver Seal. The captain’s name is Finnias. I imagine his business is bootlegging, but I didn’t ask. He didn’t ask why we wanted to cross to Crogmanland, either. All he said was that most crafters had been summoned by their masters and if you would work, we could go.”

  “Do you trust him?”

  “As far as I can throw him, and he is a very large man,” replied Erion. Leilas’ only response was to raise an eyebrow and take a bite of toast. “I don’t remember seeing any water when we came into town,” she remarked in puzzlement. Cephom had described the sea as water for as far as you could see.

  “We’re back a little way from the water. You’ll see enough on this trip to satisfy you.”

  “When do we leave?”

  “In the morning. That’s why I was administering the emergency supplies.”

  Leilas nodded absently. “What of the Dredracians?”

  “Word is they’re on the move. Groups have moved toward Reyoro Dell, toward Barat and Barroon on the west, toward Menas, and Montshade on the east.”

  “They are spread quite thin then?”

  “You wouldn’t think so, to hear the people talk,” replied Erion darkly. “If there ever truly was a balance, there isn’t one anymore. These armies are like seas of dark creatures.”

  “Don’t despair, Erion.” Leilas reached out and touched his hand. “Your people will survive and you’re doing what must be done to save them.”

  “I wish I could be as certain as you, Chidra. My heart tells me I should be home, defending my forest.”

  “As mine says I should be in the Southern Plains with my friends and family. Our hearts don’t always speak the truth. Our path lies across the sea.”

  Erion frowned, “Your heart didn’t lie to you about Joshuas,” he said after a few minutes.

  Leilas didn’t answer him. She was afraid her heart had been wrong about Joshuas. Perhaps she’d mistaken the first stirring of desire for love. Maybe she’d only seen what she’d wanted to see, in believing he returned her feelings. He’d been intrigued by her. But what did he really mean by that? That he’d studied the Chidra for so long, that when he finally met her, he’d been fascinated to see a phantom become reality. There were many interpretations. None of which meant he returned her feelings. If he were her soul-mate wouldn’t they both know and wouldn’t they both want the best for the other? Wouldn’t they want to help the other fulfill their destiny?

  It didn’t matter, anyway, she told herself wearily, tired of this debate in her head. She was going on a journey from which she wouldn’t return. She’d told Joshuas her feelings because she’d wanted his love to sustain her through this lonely quest. She swallowed her bitterness. Now all she had were unfulfilled dreams.

  She pushed her plate away, no longer hungry. Rubbing her hands over her eyes wearily, she tried to rub her thoughts away. She needed to concentrate on finding the temples erected in honor of Sylph, Crog and Solein. She could only hope that with each piece of the Crafter’s Staff she was destined to find, the way to the next temple would become clear.

  Erion let her brood in silence as he drank his ale. There was no impatience there. Time was almost meaningless to him. Although she’d spent hundreds of years in Neothera, she still felt the urgency of time. Perhaps one day, she would find its passage meaningless. The servant boy placed a tankard of ale in front of her and cleaned away the remnants of her meal. She took a long drink and let the warm, fuzzy feeling wash over her. For tonight, she would enjoy the ale’s ability to help her not think.

  The morning came too early and her head hurt. She vaguely remembered Erion urging her out of the inn and onto her horse. They were back at the campsite where they’d been the day before. Erion was busy packing their belongings. The horses were already gone. They wouldn’t need them on the ship. After eating the meal Erion left out for her, she slipped the pack on her back and waited for him to lead the way.

  He handed her a piece of some kind of root as they walked. “They say it helps with the headache.”

  Leilas popped it into her mouth. It tasted bitter, but she chewed on it anyway. “Have you had to babysit many drunken crafters?”

  “There have been a few,” he replied. “By the way, I might have led the captain of this ship to believe you’ve had experience navigating the sea.”

  “I’ve never even seen the sea,” replied Leilas.

  “I wouldn’t mention that to him,” suggested the elf, “at least not until we’re well on our way. I’m sure you can handle whatever comes up.”

  “Why do I have the feeling this trip is not going to go well?”

  “I can’t imagine. I have every confidence there will be no trouble, on the ship anyway.” He turned onto the street that led to the dock.

  Leilas stopped in amazement at the sight before them. Water stretched as far as you could see in three directions. Blue-gray water rose and fell and broke into white caps against the rocks. Towering monoliths of red stone protruded from the water. Birds with webbed feet preened on the top of the stone towers and screeched with harsh cries to each other. Harsh barking noises joined in with the screeching of the birds. Leilas looked for what was making those noises. She soon realized they were coming from the seals and sea lions. She’d often seen pictures of these animals, but she’d never heard them speak before. She had to smile as Cephom’s words came back to her. The seals were telling the men to stay
away from their territory. Perhaps if she’d had time, she could have learned to understand the words they were speaking.

  Fascinated, she hurried to catch up to Erion. The smell of water, fish, smoke and spices filled her nostrils as the noise of the seals, birds, and men working filled her ears. As well as Cephom had described it, he hadn’t done this sea justice.

  The Silver Seal wasn’t silver at all. It was a black ship with white sails. Men were busy hauling goods up the gangplank, while a tall, stout man, decked out in colorful satin tunic and breeches, called out orders. “Captain Finnias, I assume,” said Leilas, as they approached the vessel.

  “None other. Let me do most of the talking. Elves impress him.” Erion led the way to the gangplank. “Permission to come aboard, Captain,” he called out in a loud voice, over the noise of the dock.

  “Who’s there, now?” asked the captain, looking around to see who had addressed him.

  “Erion and Leilan.” The elf pulled her forward. “The crafter I told you about.”

  “So it is,” said the Captain, squinting to see them through the sunlight. “I wasn’t really expecting you to come back. But we can use a crafter on the trip. Come aboard.” He waved them up the gangplank. “We take off with the tide. Bilkins,” he bellowed, practically in Leilas’ ear.

  “Take them below and get them settled in,” he told the hatchet-faced first mate, when he hurried to the captain’s side.

  “They’ll have to share,” he told the Captain, giving them a disapproving stare.

  “Do I look like I care?” growled the Captain.

  “Sorry sir,” he muttered. “This way then. Be quick about it.” Bilkins hurried off in the direction of a stairway. “I have better things to do than escort crafters around.” Leilas followed after him, purposely going slow. Erion smiled at her small rebellion.

  Bilkins led them down two flights of stairs, into a dark, narrow hallway and then opened a door into a room not bigger than her closet had been. There were two bunks stacked on top of each other and four drawers built into the wall. “Meals are at four bells, don’t be late or you won’t get any. The Captain expects his crafters to be topside when we cast off.” With that, Bilkins turned and was soon out of sight.

  “That wasn’t so hard,” said Erion, throwing his pack on the bottom bunk.

  “What exactly does a crafter on a ship do?” asked Leilas, placing her pack on the top bunk then sitting on the bottom bunk.

  “Oh, you know–, the usual. Steer the boat out of the harbor, miss all the obstacles, keep the ship seaworthy, repair damage, calm storms, that sort of thing.”

  “Is that all?” Leilas asked sarcastically.

  “That’s it,” replied Erion innocently. “Simple as pie.”

  Leilas wasn’t sure she was going to fool the Captain into believing she was an experienced sailor when she didn’t even know what four bells meant. But crafting was crafting, she expected she could do it at sea as well as on land.

  Their room was stuffy, hot and too small to do anything but sleep. They found their way back up to the main deck and watched as the men finished loading the cargo onto the ship. Leilas could feel the ocean begin to pull at the ship rather than push it and she deduced, rightly, it was time to head out to sea. The Captain didn’t ask for her help in negotiating the cove and she breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps this wouldn’t be too difficult after all.

  “You keep a lively eye out for them sea monsters. They’ve been acting up lately, what with all those dark creatures about. We don’t want them capsizing us,” said the Captain, as he left his place by the rail. “I’ll be in my cabin should you need me.”

  Leilas looked at Erion accusingly. Surely the Captain had mentioned this duty to him before they boarded. Somehow, he’d forgotten to mention it to her. Controlling animals was one of the hardest spells to master and one of the hardest to control, especially over a creature she’d never even seen. It took some crafters years to learn to control it. She knew the spell, but she’d never once used it.

  “You’d better hope Sylph is watching over us on this trip,” she whispered fiercely to Erion. “Because I have no idea what a sea monster looks like, much less what to say to it to make it not attack.”

  “No need worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet,” Erion whispered back.

  “Couldn’t you just have paid the man?”

  “He didn’t want our money.”

  “Of course he didn’t. Why in the world would I think a bootlegger would want money?”

  “You may find you have a great affinity for sea monsters,” offered Erion, not answering her question. She didn’t really want an answer anyway.

  She looked back at the dock, quickly receding from sight and forward to nothing but water. There was nothing she could do about the situation now. Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to be calm. “You never know,” she replied. “I just may.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Leilas spent her days inspecting the ship for damage and repairing any that she found, watching the weather and learning to communicate with the animals that inhabited the waters. Erion helped her with this last task. Though he was a forest elf and not a sea elf he did have some ability to communicate with the sea creatures. Most of his time was spent regaling the Captain with stories. He must have known hundreds and the Captain never tired of his musical voice praising past feats of bravery and telling tales of love.

  It was relatively easy work and Leilas was enjoying the respite from her travels. No one and no thing had bothered them on this leg of their journey. They’d been at sea two weeks when the first inkling of trouble appeared. A sea dragon began to follow them. It stayed far enough away the Captain wasn’t too concerned. Leilas knew it was watching her for someone. The peace she’d been feeling on this voyage disappeared, replaced by the heavy burden of what lay ahead.

  “What do you suppose it’s doing out there?” asked the Captain uneasily after the third day of being followed.

  “Watching,” said Leilas, looking up from the rope she was repairing.

  “I figured out that much, boyo. I meant why is it watching us?”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much Captain. He’s not concerned about your illegal cargo,” replied Leilas. The Captain stammered some denials before he stuck his pipe in his mouth and walked away. Leilas smiled to herself and went back to the rope.

  Dragons were a tricky lot, full of magic and cunning. For the most part, they left people alone. They didn’t have much use for weak humans. Crafters and elves were a little more interesting, but usually only worth a glance or two. The fact that this dragon was watching with more than a passing interest told Leilas it had been pressed into service by one powerful enough to command its respect. Master crafters who were also gaunts came to mind, as well as Rengailai. It would only take a thrash or two of this sea dragon’s tail to capsize this ship. Yet, it kept its distance and just watched. What game was Rengailai playing and why? Leilas fretted over the question while she worked, but was no closer to a solution when she was done with her repair.

  “They say,” said Erion, when she broached the subject with him, “that Sylph sometimes takes on the form of a sea dragon. Perhaps you are not looking at this in the proper light. Perhaps this creature is here to protect you.”

  Leilas watched this creature with new eyes, wondering if it could have been sent by Sylph to protect them on their journey. She’d run into so many traps set to ensnare her, she hadn’t thought about the times it seemed she’d been rescued.

  The idea that this creature had been sent by Sylph or maybe was Sylph intrigued her. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to try to communicate with the creature. When she’d believed it was evil, she was content to leave it alone. Now, she was curious. If it was sent by a dark crafter, trying to communicate could provoke it into action. If it wasn’t, well that was what she was trying to discover.

  By the next day, she’d decided to try to talk to the dragon. She finish
ed her chores then looked out to where the creature was lolling in the water. Its blue and green scales sparkled like jewels, its red eyes winked at odd intervals. It maneuvered through the water like a snake. Throwing caution to the wind, she cast the spell to converse and greeted the creature respectfully. It opened its eyes a bit wider when she spoke, then closed them again.

  She thought it had heard her. Its eyes had done something, but she couldn’t be sure. Gathering her energy, she cast the spell once more and greeted the dragon again. This time it snorted and rolled away. Disappointed, Leilas respected the dragon’s silence and went about her duties, content to let the dragon watch from a distance.

  The days passed quickly. They were already nearing the Isle of Mer. The Captain and the men grew more anxious the closer they came. Activity increased below deck and cargo was arranged to be unloaded at the Port of Merland. Leilas stood with the Captain as they navigated into port, although again, the Captain didn’t ask for her help. She had seen the obstacles he avoided and memorized them for future reference. She might have a need to know such things.

  Yelling at the men to get the cargo unloaded, the Captain supervised the lowering of the gangplank. “We won’t need you or your elf friend until we are ready to sail, when the tide turns. If you have a hankering to go exploring,” he said to her when the walkway was in place.

  Leilas decided that was his way of telling her he didn’t want them around while he was conducting business and that was fine with her. She would take this opportunity to see how the people of the sea lived. Finding Erion below, they donned their cloaks and left the ship.

  The Isle of Mer had been named for the mer folk who lived in the sea near the island. The people of the island were mostly fishermen and traders, buying and selling goods from the ships that passed through their port. Open stalls crowded the port and many vendors lauded the worth of their wares. Leilas and Erion wandered the narrow street slowly, looking at all the goods being offered.

  Stopping at one table which was covered in medallions, Leilas studied them for quite a while. She searched for the Amulet of King Ley, but if it was here, it wasn’t for her to find. At a table tucked away behind the others, there was a man selling maps, spells, parchments and other written works. Leilas began looking idly through the maps. She looked at several before she lingered over one that was old and faded. Then she set it aside and looked at several others. Finally, when the vendor was certain she was just looking and not one to waste his time convincing his wares were valuable, she casually asked the price of several. She pointed to the old map and the man quoted her a low price. She shook her head and he looked at the worn condition and lowered the price. Reluctantly, or so it appeared, Leilas picked up the old piece of parchment and studied it again for several minutes, then agreed to the price. She tucked her purchase into her tunic and walked away, only then did she let her excitement show. The man smiled at her back, and then was gone.