"Move," Jon called softly.
Sheri shook her head as the wagon picked up speed and she managed to roll into the street just before the front wheel could clip her. As she rose and raced down the hill, she looked back and saw Jon pushing the wagon. She was only part way down the steep hill when the wagon roared past her. Sheri's legs pumped and her lungs ached for air as she tried to catch up to the wagon, but she was no match for the steepness of the hill. She watched as the wagon started to swerve.
Half way down the hill, where there was an intersection, two boys came racing out towards the wagon. The boys carried a hefty beam and stood in the street for a moment trying to gauge the path of the wagon. When they felt sure of the path, they dropped the beam where it would be run over by only one side of the wagon. The two boys dove out of the way as the wagon's right-side wheel hit the beam. Jon caught up to Sheri just as the wagon lurched with the right wheels in the air. The wagon tilted, as it turned sideways and crashed to its side.
As the wagon slid down the hill on its side, the top tore off and parcels and crates started spilling onto the ground. Before the wagon even stopped, people were charging out into the street and grabbing parcels of food. Most of the thieves were young and agile, but even some elderly people took the opportunity to procure some of the packages. Sheri heard shouts from the top of the hill, but she ignored them. She had planned to scoop up some of the food as she fled, but her lungs were at the bursting stage so she turned the corner and slowed down slightly.
Sheri had not gone half a block before the first of the soldiers appeared. She slowed to a walk and tried to breath normally. The soldiers gave her only a passing glance as they rode towards the street the wagon had crashed on. She knew if she had had a package in her arms that they would have stopped and arrested her. She fled down the first alley and worked her way several blocks towards the waterfront. With a quick glance to see if anyone was in the alley watching, Sheri opened the door to the abandoned warehouse and slid in.
"Right beautiful job, Sheri," greeted one of the boys. "We got enough here to last for a week or more."
"Is everyone safe?" asked Sheri. "I saw soldiers coming way too soon for my comfort."
"Some stuff had to be left," shrugged the lad, "but we made out alright. They weren't quick enough to catch any of us."
"Is there enough to feed all of the families?" asked Sheri.
"We are dividing it up now," answered the lad. "We will start the deliveries after things quiet down outside."
"What about Jon?" queried Sheri. "He was alongside me before I turned the corner."
"He is fine," grinned the lad. "I saw him hanging out at one of the taverns. I think he wanted to see what the soldiers' reactions would be when they got there. He will be along shortly."
As if on cue, the door to the warehouse opened and Jon slid in.
"I don't think we will be getting away with that trick again," Jon frowned. "I heard some of the soldiers talking about armed guards for the wagons now."
"Just the ones bound for the Royal Palace?" inquired Sheri. "Or do you think they will guard them all?"
"The Royal Palace for sure," shrugged Jon. "Who can tell what they will do for the other nobles. I tell you though; I would rather taunt the army than those mercenaries that I have seen around. They would cut you in half just for fun I think."
"Well we are going to need food after this lot is gone," frowned Sheri. "Do you have any ideas?"
"My aren't you a feisty one?" laughed Jon. "First I thought you would faint when you learned it was a wagon bound for the Royal Palace. Now you are looking for bigger game."
"We still have to eat," grinned Sheri, "and they are the only ones with food. If you have the stomach for stealing from the Council, I sure ain't going to let you have all of the fun."
***
The merchant's wagon halted at the gates to the city of Barouk. An officer approached the wagon with a scowl on his face.
"Papers," demanded the officer.
"Papers?" echoed the old merchant. "What kind of papers do you want?"
The officer's eyebrows rose as he stared at the old man and the young woman sitting on the seat of the wagon. "You must have papers to travel in Lanoir," blustered the officer.
Master Khatama sensed Niki's right arm tensing and he gently laid his hand on her arm. He looked at Niki and smiled, "I will be right back, Niki. Stay here and keep out of trouble."
Master Khatama climbed off the wagon and walked around to the side of it. The officer followed him with a quizzical look upon his face. Boris pointed to the large lettering on the side of the canvas.
"Boris Khatama," smiled the merchant. "That is me. If you require papers to know who is traveling your countryside, surely my name is large enough for anyone to see."
"A sign on the wagon is not the same as papers," growled the officer. "You must have papers or you will be arrested."
"Would you care to inspect my cargo?" asked Boris as walked to the rear of the wagon and untied the flap.
"The cargo is not important," the officer said impatiently. "You will have to come with me."
Boris reached into the wagon and pulled out a large cured ham. He turned and handed it to the guard. "These papers that I am supposed to have," grinned the old man, "would you happen to have some that I could look at? Perhaps seeing them would refresh my mind on where I placed mine."
The officer looked confused as Boris tied up the back of the wagon, and he didn't know what to do with the ham he was holding. A ham was extremely expensive in Lanoir, but bribing an official was not unheard of, even though it was punishable by death.
"If you could find some examples," grinned Boris as he put his hand on the officer's shoulder, "I could keep them in the empty spot of my wagon where that ham came from. Perhaps you will visit me inside the city. My wagon is very easy to locate."
The officer nodded and pushed the ham into Boris's hands. "You are cleared to pass into the city," the officer nodded. "I will locate your wagon later and we shall talk."
Boris smiled and placed the ham on the seat of the wagon and then climbed over it to take the reins. The officer ordered the gates opened and the merchant drove the wagon through.
"What's with the ham?" questioned Niki. "Why did you bring it up here?"
"It is the price for our entrance to the city," explained Boris. "It is something that we will not speak of. The penalty for bribery is death."
"Why did you stop me from blasting them away from the gate?" inquired Niki. "It would have been much quicker."
"Have you been brought up to take a life so easily?" quizzed Master Khatama. "Which is the better approach? To kill men who are only doing their job? Or to give up a small piece of food?"
"I guess I understand what you are saying," reasoned Niki. "Where did you get the ham anyway? I did not see it in there last night."
"Have you ever killed anyone?" questioned Master Khatama.
Niki sat and thought for a while before answering. "I do not remember ever killing anyone," she finally answered. "I still could have cleared them all away from the gate without killing them. My magic is very powerful. You probably don't understand what a mage can do. How did you know I was going to use magic?"
"You assume that I knew you were going to use magic," smiled Boris. "Perhaps I just noticed the tension in your body and thought you might do something that was not called for."
"I guess so," accepted Niki. "You do seem to notice a lot about people. How will we find Arik and Tedi?"
"And Wylan," added Boris as he guided the wagon to the edge of the beach and drove it off the road.
Master Khatama climbed down off the seat and walked around the wagon and untied the rear flap. He pulled the hinged back down as people began to cautiously crowd around the wagon. Boris placed a tarp on the ground and began to take items from the wagon and place them on the tarp. Niki tended to the horses while Master Khatama bargained with his customers. By the time she was done, the crowd ha
d dispersed and Boris was reloading the wagon with the items that had not sold.
"That is the first time since we met that you have actually been a merchant," Niki nodded. "Were the sales good?"
"Not very good," answered Boris. "Barouk is primarily a large fishing village. The people do not deal with money very much."
"I should get the ham," Niki said softly as she gazed over Boris's shoulder.
Master Khatama turned and saw the officer walking towards him. He smiled and the officer nodded as he hurried over to the wagon. He handed Boris a couple of slips of paper as Niki rounded the wagon with the ham.
"Your business here has been good?" asked the officer.
"Not very good," smiled Boris as he took the ham from Niki and handed it to the officer, "but the people are pleasant. It has been many years since I was last here. Some things change, but others stay the same."
"Much is changing this year," said the officer as he looked around to see if anyone was in listening range. "The army grows daily. Soon I think the Emperor will seek new lands."
"Let us hope the people fare well, whatever happens," commented Boris as the officer turned and left.
Boris watched the officer leave and then looked at the slips of paper. The officer had given him passes under the name of the Boris Khatama Trading Company. Master Khatama smiled and put the passes into his pouch. Boris then turned himself in a circle. He stopped facing west with a puzzled frown upon his brow.
"I do not think the boys have arrived yet," he said to Niki. "That is disturbing. They should have been here already."
"You mean we got here before them?" questioned Niki. "I guess you traveling late into the night really helped, but now we will have to wait in this dreary city."
"Barouk is an interesting city," chuckled Boris. "Look at the fleet of fishing vessels it has. I wager that you have never seen so many different types of ships before."
"I don't care much for ships," Niki stated. "Where is this Island of Storms?"
"You cannot see it from here," advised Master Khatama as he pointed south, "but it is off in that direction."
"Uhoh," Niki muttered under her breath. "I recognize those men. They are part of Azmet's group."
Boris peered at the large group of men standing near one of the docks. He saw twelve scruffy men wearing red scarves upon their heads. They appeared to be waiting for someone, and Boris scanned the dock until his eyes stopped on a tall dark man in a turban.
"There is another one of them talking to the fishermen on the dock," Boris said softly.
"I see him," nodded Niki. "He is one of the important ones. I think I heard him called Lotfi."
"I suspect from his dress that he is a mage," added Master Khatama.
"Really?" questioned Niki. "Can you really tell a mage by their clothing?"
"You will appear familiar to them," cautioned Boris. "Get into the wagon and disguise yourself. Do not use any magic. If he senses magic, he will naturally investigate it. You must not be detected by them."
Niki scampered into the wagon while Master Khatama watched the scene unfolding on the dock. Lotfi appeared to be arguing with several of the fishermen, and the twelve martyrs started edging onto the dock. One of the fishermen ran off the dock and sped past Boris as the twelve martyrs closed ranks around Lotfi. Boris sensed trouble brewing.
Niki emerged from the wagon with a full-length white hooded cloak. Boris nodded thoughtfully and reached into the wagon to snare a similar cloak for himself. He donned the cloak as he watched the argument progress. What bothered the old merchant was that Lotfi was obviously trying to arrange for a ship to get to the Island of Storms, and yet the boys had not reached Barouk yet. Or had they?
"Would Tedi ever part with his necklace?" Master Khatama asked Niki.
"Never," Niki shook her head. "I have tried to get it off him many times. He will die with that necklace on. He says it belonged to his mother, but I don't believe him."
"I did not think he would sell it," nodded Master Khatama. "I wonder if he is alright."
Boris and Niki turned at the sound of people running towards them from the direction of the city. A column of Lanoirian soldiers was running down the street, and they were heading straight for Boris's wagon. Boris felt Niki tensing and calmly put his arm around her.
"Use no magic," warned the old merchant. "There is a time and place for everything."
Chapter 21
Island of Storms
The lightening of the sky dawned over a placid sea as Tedi took in the sights around him. He rose and stretched as he gazed along the thin strip of sand that ran below the sheer, vertical cliffs of the island. The strip of sand ran off in each direction as far as he could see. There did not appear to be any break in the cliff wall. The old scow sat partially on the thin beach and partially in the water amidst a grouping of sharp rocks. He shook his head as he saw how fortunate they had been the night before. A small distance in either direction and the scow would have been shattered on the rock outcroppings. Tedi heard stirrings behind him, and he turned to see Arik sitting up.
"Glad to see you survived," smiled Tedi. "Why don't you wake Wylan and we can have a meal?"
"He will need one," nodded Arik as he reached over and rocked Wylan gently. "I am sure his stomach is well emptied."
Wylan blinked his eyes several times and then sat up weakly. "I could do well to live without ever having another boat ride," frowned Wylan. "I need something to drink."
Tedi handed Wylan a flask of water and a chunk of bread. "I got our provisions off last night," offered Tedi. "We were very lucky to land here."
"I can see that," remarked Arik as he drew the Sword of Heavens, "but where are we?"
"Someplace other than a boat," commented Wylan. "Wherever it is, I am prepared to spend the rest of my days here."
"Sailing is not always so bad," chuckled Tedi. "That was a pretty nasty storm last night. You did fine."
"I am not a sailor like you two," frowned Wylan. "When it comes time for warrior skills, I will redeem myself. You two take care of me on the water, and I will take care of you on the land. At least I have had army training."
"This can't be," frowned Arik. "It is impossible."
"What is impossible?" asked Tedi as he watched Arik struggle with the Sword of Heavens.
"The Diamond of Edona is closer to us now than it was when we were in Tagaret," replied Arik. "That cannot be."
"What is Edona?" asked Wylan.
"Edona is one of the original Universes," answered Arik as he sheathed the Sword of Heavens. "It was the Universe of humans. The Diamond of Edona is the gem that represents that Universe on the Sword of Heavens."
"There is no sea close enough to Cleb to make the Sword of Heavens react that way," puzzled Tedi. "Is it possible that Azmet is on the move?"
"Azmet could be on the move," nodded Arik, "but I find it hard to believe that he could move thousands of followers as quickly as the three of us have traveled. Still, the Sword of Heavens has not been wrong yet."
"Is this the Island of Storms that we were heading for?" asked Wylan.
"I don't know," admitted Arik. "Bin-lu did say that the island had steep cliffs that we would have to climb. I think we should assume that it is until we find out differently."
"Well if we are not going to take to the sea again," suggested Tedi, "then we should secure the scow."
"I don't think I am ready for another sea voyage just yet," remarked Wylan. "I vote that we explore this island and find out where we are."
"We should anchor the scow beyond those rock outcroppings," stated Arik. "I do not think it will be safe where it is."
"And repair the sail lines that I cut," added Tedi. "Do you think we can pull it by swimming?"
"If Wylan will help push it off the beach," nodded Arik. "The sea is calm and there is almost no breeze. We can do it. We should take any rope that is not essential to the ship as well. We may need it for climbing."
"Well I want to scout out
the beach for a bit," Tedi said as he grabbed a chunk of bread.
"Not a bad idea," agreed Arik. "You go one way and I will go the other. That will allow Wylan some time to wash up and recover from his ordeal. No more than a half hour, though. I do not want to spend another night on this beach and we still have the scow to take care of."
Tedi nodded and started running gently along the beach. Arik watched Tedi pass the scow before he turned and headed off in the other direction. The exercise felt good as Arik jogged along the beach. Most of the shoreline was similar to where they had come ashore. There were sections where the beach was eroded and the water lapped right up to the cliff, but he did not find any coves or breaks in the cliff wall. After he had gone what he thought might be a half hour, Arik turned and ran back to the scow.
"I found a cove," greeted Tedi as Arik returned. "It is a nice, safe little harbor, not much bigger than the scow, but it should be protected."
"That is more than I found," responded Arik. "Let's get the sail lines repaired and see if we can sail there."
"I will follow by land," offered Wylan sheepishly. "Perhaps you can tie a rope to the boat and I can guide you if the wind is not strong enough to sail."
Tedi chuckled and ran to the scow. He repaired the sail lines and gathered all the spare ropes that he could find. He tied several ropes end-to-end and then tied one end of the long rope to the bow. He tossed the free end of the line onto the beach as Arik and Wylan arrived.
"There is your guide rope," Tedi smiled to Wylan. "We are ready to shove off."
Arik threw his swords onboard and then helped Wylan push the scow off the beach while Tedi tied two ropes to the stern. When he felt the scow float free, Tedi shouted to Arik and then jumped overboard from the stern. Arik swam out to the stern and grabbed one of the improvised towropes while Tedi grabbed the other. Wylan held the long guide rope while he watched the boat move slowly out to sea. Arik and Tedi were both strong swimmers, and the scow moved smoothly between the rock outcroppings. Arik felt a soft breeze once they were away from the cliff and he climbed the rope that he was holding and hauled himself over the rail. Tedi kept towing the scow out to sea while Arik raised one of the sails.
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