by Bob Blink
“You will be traveling along known coasts for much of the trip. Should some need arise, we could send a message and you could make landfall and seek out a portal for a return. You can take one of the detailed maps that have been created from Asari’s book that shows the approximate locations of the portals. Once you are in the Lost Territories, that won’t be possible, but if nothing has created a need for you to return by the time you reach there, I’m willing to take the risk of having to wait.”
“I want to go,” Tishe said suddenly.
“Absolutely not,” Vaen said. “In addition to all the obvious reasons, you are also our backup communication with Shyar. One of you has to remain here. Had it not been for your special mental link, we would have paid a far greater price to Ale’ald already. Sorry Tishe. Such a trip is dangerous and we need you here.”
* * * *
As a result of the meeting, Jolan found himself walking up the gangplank of one of the Queen’s fastest vessels a few days later. Shyar walked just behind him, and a subdued Asari a bit behind the two of them. Jolan knew what Asari must be thinking. He badgered everyone involved to get his way, and now he was looking at a month or more aboard an ocean vessel, depending on the winds and fate. His previous trip had lasted a miserable two days, and most of that on the relatively protected inlet between Jupura and Cobalo. Here the weather and waters were likely to be far worse at times.
After a brief check of their staterooms, the three friends met on deck to watch as the ship departed the city. Their personal baggage had been loaded hours earlier and was waiting in the luxurious rooms they had been given for the trip. This was one of the Queen’s traveling craft after all.
The crew consisted of twenty of Her Majesty’s most experienced sailors. Two of the officers had actually sailed the route once before, having made a trip completely around the Settled Lands a few years previously. They knew a number of places to make landfall for supplies that were perishable, although some would be available via the Travel Box.
As the ship pulled away and the fresh salty smell of the spray reached their noses, Jolan smiled in contentment. It did feel good to be away. Perhaps something positive would come of this wild goose chase.
Jolan looked at Asari. The waves were still calm since they were within the shelter of land, but his friend was already looking a bit green. It was probably just anticipation of what was coming, but Jolan held back a small grin and placed his hand on Asari’s back.
“Shyar has something for you,” he said seriously.
Asari looked at Jolan, and then let his eyes jump to a smiling Shyar just behind him. She beckoned him, and he made his way over to her.
“Sit,” she commanded, indicating a section of deck that was slightly raised for just such a purpose.
He did as asked, and as she laid her hand on his forehead, Asari noted she was wearing Jolan’s ring; the one with the blue stone.
“Seasickness isn’t really an illness and, with my abilities with medicine, there would be nothing to be done. Shyar, however, has an amazing touch and understanding of the art. With the ring she’s certain your problem can be fixed.”
Asari watched as bands of bluish light flickered from the ring, around Shyar’s hand, and into his head. He felt nothing, but soon an easing of the nausea that had been building inside could be felt. Shyar withdrew her hand, indicating she was done. Asari stood and felt absolutely great. The ship was starting to pitch and roll as they came out of the shelter of the land and started to come about to make their way north. The motions no longer bothered him, and he couldn’t help but hurry to the rail with Jolan and Shyar to watch Cobalo drift out of sight behind them. He was still going to have to get used to the motions of the ship to walk safely, but no longer did he have to fear the horrible retching and disorientation that had plagued him before. Instead of a month of sheer misery, Asari suddenly felt like he was going to thoroughly enjoy the month on the water.
Chapter 162
Where could he be going? Until he discovered the answer to that, his plans for Jolan would have to be put on hold. Cheurt had been surprised the previous afternoon when he’d seen Jolan and his two friends aboard a ship, clearly well away from land. Why travel by ship when they had access to the portals which could take them almost anywhere instantaneously? Perhaps there was something about the portal system he didn’t understand. Perhaps they had done something to make the system risky. Certainly he’d already lost a number of wizards to the system, and he didn’t know why.
The viewing he’d just made confirmed they were still at sea, not surprising since one couldn’t get very far in a single day by ship. Sadly, there had been nothing to provide clues as to the direction that they were headed. The sun had been high in the sky, and so even that clue was lost to him.
He supposed it didn’t matter for the moment, since he wasn’t yet ready to make his move. His people were still learning about the portals and how they could be used. He bristled at the thought so much could have been revealed to him had he been more careful and had just a few more minutes with the man before the Shyar woman had managed to kill him. He wondered what capabilities his people hadn’t considered might be hidden in the system. Thus far they had learned how to activate portals for which they knew the address. Getting the addresses was a tedious affair. He had to send a wizard with knowledge of portal activation to the site, activate it, and then see what new address appeared in the local portal. But once that was known, they could control the new addition remotely, and pass people between the portals freely. It had already been extremely useful in allowing him to move between the Academy and the capital. He also had a courier who now made daily trips to the capital of Kimlelm and back. He’d thought communications were great when the telegraph had been installed. How Jolan and his people must have been laughing at them.
Cheurt wondered how Jolan had obtained the addresses for the portals within Ale’ald. It was unlikely they’d sent someone all the way into the area, which suggested they had lists of addresses for the portals. Maybe they knew addresses for every portal in the system. The thought was disturbing, and made the task of locating and watching all of the portals a high priority. If such a list existed, he guessed they would have found it in Ygooro or Tilano. How he would like to know where those places were and have the chance to examine the secrets they must contain. He promised himself the day would come when he’d have the chance.
He’d been disappointed when the report came back from his people in Trailways that the great lake in the nearby mountains was full and looked as it always had. He’d been certain that was the location the man had in his mind for the location of Tilano. But apparently not. There would be no way to fake the lake. It was far too large. If it had been drained somehow, filling it again would take years, and they hadn’t had the time. He would have to consider what other lakes existed that would be large enough to drown a city.
The process of learning and using the system was going to take longer than he initially suspected. He wanted a portal in Angon so he could send his war wizards after Jolan. He wanted the man dead. He had managed to escape far too often. He had even had his men capture a couple of Angon’s mages, not a simple task, and while their minds were rich in information, none knew anything about the portal system. It appeared the system had been held secret even from most of their people. That meant the chances of learning about it the easy way weren’t available.
Cheurt was also tantalized by the suggestion of another Nexus point that might open up the path to Earth once again. Even if that became possible, the contacts and expertise that Ryltas had developed during his two years there would be lost, but certain items could be acquired that would put some of his projects back on schedule. If he could get his hands on any of Jolan’s friends, and he knew who most of them were, he’d immediately probe their minds for the information that had been denied him.
His hand stroked the new device that now hung around his neck. He was thrilled by the power it gave him. It lo
oked relatively new. He couldn’t decide if that was because the magic it controlled had kept it that way for centuries, or if it was a recent construction. He shuddered to think if Jolan had used his Earth based knowledge and was able to construct such devices in quantity. His wizards would be outmatched if they had to face an army of mages so equipped. Perhaps it was time to share the triad technique with more of the wizards in his army. He had hesitated before, because the right three would have been able to defeat even him. That was no longer the case.
He fingered the amulet once again. More than any device he’d encountered, this one enhanced everything he could do. No wizard or mage could stand against him. If he could find a way to ensure he was protected against their projectile weapons, he could raise havoc on the battlefield. He had a couple of ideas. Soon enough he would see.
He turned back to his maps. He still had a war to fight. For now, it was mostly a traditional war, but the winter would give them time to build a few surprises.
Chapter 163
The first days at sea were filled with excitement and adventure. Now that Asari was immune to the effects of the debilitating seasickness, he found the motion of the ship and the constant splash of spray as the ship plowed through the water refreshing and fun. Often he could be found high in the rigging, watching the land off to port and the ocean ahead. Jolan and Shyar found his reactions amusing, but were happy that the voyage was turning out to be one of discovery rather than misery for their friend. When Jolan had told Shyar about Asari’s earlier experiences, she’d immediately gone to talk with the medical-mages and several who specialized in sea medicine. The effectiveness of her investigations was there for all to see.
Their ship, the RS Wave Runner, was a square rigged, four masted clipper ship, designed for speed. The jinga-wood masts were enhanced with magic, and virtually no seas were strong enough to break them regardless of the amount of sail they carried. In the past, the Queen sometimes needed to visit other dignitaries, and time was often a factor. Narrow compared to her length, the ship carried an immense amount of sail, and with the winds mostly behind her at this point, she raced across the ocean, faster than any ship they’d encountered. The Wave Runner was just over ten years old, having been built for the Queen’s father when he decided a second Royal Ship was required. After ten years the ship looked almost new, the metal fittings shiny and free of corrosion, the wood varnished and polished. The deck was of a heavy grained wood Jolan didn’t recognize, but which seemed to provide a firm footing even when wet from the constant spray present on the calmest of days. The crew were often barefoot, which they claimed gave them better purchase than any boots would have done, but Jolan thought his feet would ache after a day of the constant running and climbing the crew performed as a matter of course.
Often Asari would point out a ship on the horizon from his lofty perch, and by midday they would have overtaken and passed the slower vessel. Given the speed of their vessel, if the winds held, they would be able to reach their destination in a little over a month. The return voyage would take considerably longer, since they would have to tack into the prevailing winds rather than simply run before them.
Since the ship was one of the Queen’s two private vessels, it was furnished accordingly. There were four staterooms designed for the Queen and her party. At the moment they only used two of them, and they were far more comfortable and luxurious than one had any right to expect of a sailing ship. As nice as they were, Jolan couldn’t help wondering what the Queen’s private quarters looked like. That room remained locked and, while no one had said anything, was basically off limits. The room was only opened when the queen herself was on board.
Captain Elms had made a point of introducing the crew to his special passengers, knowing they were the type that would prefer to mingle rather than remain aloof as some of the political types he’d had aboard in the past. They had their choice of eating at the captain’s mess or with the crew. Asari most often ate with the crew, in part because he was trying to learn all aspects of shipboard operations from the various deckhands, and partly because he had met Krisse.
Two women sailed on the Wave Runner. Apparently the Queen expected more of her meals than had been delivered by the men who had filled the position of cook in the past. Now the position was taken by an older woman who had spent years at sea with her fisherman husband until he’d died, and Krisse, her apprentice. Krisse was a year older than Asari, and quite attractive. While there were strict rules against romance between members of the crew, no one was bothered by the fact Asari and Krisse frequently shared the same cabin.
Jolan was still going over the names he’d learned the previous evening. The first officer was named Ghav. He was a few years younger than the captain and would most likely move up to the position when the captain retired or be given a command of his own before much longer. Extremely knowledgeable, he noticed everything around him and was quick to have the crew set right any discrepancy. Yade was the Operations Officer and navigator, and Asari was taking lessons from him on how to fix their position. Each morning and evening the two would huddle together while they took readings and marked them carefully on a large chart on the bridge.
Chief Mate Lyen was the senior enlisted man aboard. Jolan had expected a portly, somewhat overweight man well along in his career, but Lyen was in his mid thirties, and was as trim and fit as any of the men. He could climb the rigging with the spryest of them, and moved with the motions of the ship without a second thought. Jolan could only remember two more of the names, and would have to make the rounds again until the rest could be driven into his memory. Samz was the ship’s carpenter, and was continuously busy with small tasks. At some point Jolan was going to try and get a look at the man’s shop, because he seemed to have on hand whatever was required for whatever task that arose. Finally, he could remember Burk, the striker. He hadn’t know what a striker was, but after First Officer Ghav explained the function, he could see why the man was held in such high esteem. Burk was an experienced fisherman, and was expert at catching sea turtles and a large creature that looked like it had wings called a bracker. Both were highly prized for their meat and the variety they added to the mess. When they stopped for replenishment as they needed to do every couple of weeks, he was extremely knowledgeable of the various plants that could be used for food and in the habits of all kinds of game animals.
They had been very lucky weather wise thus far, with constant winds that varied only slightly from day to day and continued through the nights as well. At the mercy of the winds, they could expect to hit storms before the voyage was over, and it was possible they might spend a few days becalmed, one of the frustrating realities of such voyages.
Jolan pulled the small square out of his pocket and unfolded it, once again amazed at how the two inch square could open into something that was almost fifteen inches across. He laid it on the top of the bed and lifted off the top half, exposing what appeared to be a large box below that would have extended into the bed if magic hadn’t been involved.
“Mail call,” Jolan said, as he reached down into the box to retrieve the note that was resting in the bottom. There were also a number of game birds, all carefully cleaned and wrapped in a bag off to one side, and several small casks of wine. He would take those to the cook, who would gratefully add the variety to their evening meal. Jolan still hadn’t gotten used to drinking out of the special tankards that had spring loaded lids and which slipped into slots on the table to prevent them from wandering during the ship’s motion.
Shyar and Jolan read the note from Vaen together. In the week they had been gone, little had changed at home. That meant there was no need for them to consider returning. In two days they would be putting into Simor for a brief stop. They would take on water and supplies, and set sail again the same day. If something had come up, there was a portal near the anchorage they could use to make a temporary return to Cobalo.
With nothing that needed addressing, Jolan slipped his own note,
already written, that described their progress and status, along with Shyar’s note to Tishe, into the bottom of the box, closed the lid, and then folded up the portable top. Jolan laid back on the bed and smiled meaningfully at Shyar. She grinned and climbed onto the bed next to him. The trip was providing them ample opportunity to make up for long months apart. Jolan remembered Tishe’s words to Janie about “almost married”, and vowed to see if the captain could change that.
Chapter 164
The days passed, some swiftly when something out of the ordinary provided distraction, but most seemed to linger and slip away reluctantly. The expectations of each day became blurred, and it was often hard to recall if a given event was two days ago or five. After the first week there was no place to go that they hadn’t seen. They knew every member of the crew by name now, and the three had been accepted as more than simple passengers. Unlike many who traveled with these men, Jolan, Shyar, and Asari spent most of their time outside the enclosed and protected spaces located in the aft part of the ship that had been created for the privileged travelers RS Wave Runner had been built to carry. Jolan and Shyar liked the open air and the constant breeze that blew past the ship. Asari was now like one of the crew. Tanned and fit, he was most often seen barefoot and dressed only in a pair of short pants as he aided in any task that needed a spare pair of hands.
Although they were headed almost south, the winds were still mostly favorable and they continued to make good time. With Simor well behind them, they now saw far fewer vessels on the great sea, reminding them that they were headed into lonely waters, far from the regions that most ever explored. Asari grew ever more excited as the days of travel grew in number, knowing they were slowly making their way to the Lost Territories which continued to pull at his mind. He was more certain than ever they were doing the right thing.
