"Feldskar never spent much time in common rooms," replied Warren. "He was pretty much a loner, and he didn't drink. He often took a plate to his room and ate there."
"Feldskar didn't drink?" pressed Natia.
"Not a drop," declared Warren. "One of the few men I know that feels that way, but I think that had more to do with his father. Stories tell that his father got drunk one night and beat his mother to death. I asked Feldskar about that, but he refused to talk about it. He just said that drinking was evil, and I left it at that."
"What did he do when we were on ale rations a few weeks ago?" asked Natia.
"That was a hard time for Feldskar," replied the sailor. "We each got a tiny ration of water and large ration of ale. Feldskar traded with me. He got my water and I got his ale. A man has to be hard in his beliefs to pass up ale when he is really thirsty, but I didn't quibble."
"So he would have no use for a flask of rum?" questioned Natia.
"Not in a hundred years," Warren shook his head. "He'd probably drink seawater first."
Silence fell between them once again as Natia thought about what she had learned from Warren. It became obvious to her that the story told by Barakis was a lie, but did that mean that Barakis was really the Snake?
"Have you sailed with Barakis before?" asked Natia.
"Not until this voyage," replied Warren. "I don't think he has ever sailed in Cordonian waters before. Him and Keltin are Lanoirians."
"Have you gotten to know him well?" probed Natia.
"He doesn't talk much to us Cordonians," Warren replied. "I guess he is a bit of a loner as well. He might say a few words to Keltin, but not much. Other than that, he is really quiet unless someone pushes him like Tyroma did that day."
"Barakis was in our boat that day in Turtle Key, wasn't he?" asked Natia.
"Him and Loman," nodded Warren. "Why do you ask?"
"Do you remember me asking who came back to the boat just before I did?" she asked
"I seem to remember you were late," shrugged Warren, "but I wasn't paying much attention. Besides, we got back to the ship in time, and no one was angry about it."
"But you can't remember who got into the boat just before me?" Natia persisted.
"No," Warren shook his head. "I really can't."
Natia sighed with frustration and then tried a different approach.
"Who was first into the boat?" she asked.
Warren thought for a moment before answering. "Loman was first. I remember him complaining about minding the barrels while the rest of us dawdled. He can be downright irritable at times. Not as bad as Tyroma, mind you, but irritable just the same."
"So Barakis was not in the boat when you arrived?" queried the gypsy.
"I guess he wasn't," answered Warren. "I am sure that only Loman was there when I arrived. Why is this so important?"
"Because the other boat had already left the dock," Natia said excitedly. "I have to go below."
Natia turned abruptly and ran to the galley. Mikal, Yolinda, Karl, and Captain Gomery looked up as she burst through the doorway.
"I think the wrong sailor died," Natia blurted out. "Feldskar never drank at all. That is why the captain never saw him in a common room."
"How do you know this?" asked the captain.
"Warren has sailed with him before," answered Natia. "He also remembered who was in the boat at Turtle Key. Barakis was the person who gave the note to the old man's son."
Mikal's jaw went taut and face darkened as he slowly rose to his feet.
"Mikal!" Yolinda's voice rose anxiously. "What if we are wrong? You can't just kill him without knowing for certain."
"That is where you come in," Mikal said to his wife. "Let's find out what Barakis thinks of this whole situation."
"You want me to…" Yolinda began.
"Come," Mikal repeated strongly. "I will let no more innocents be murdered on this ship."
Mikal was through the doorway and up the stairs before Yolinda could rise. Karl and Natia, however, were right on Mikal's heels. Mikal strode purposefully towards the bow and found Barakis coiling lines near the forward mast. Karl and Natia gathered around, and Barakis sensed trouble. He looked over Mikal's shoulder and saw Yolinda and Captain Gomery hurrying his way. As Mikal opened his mouth to speak, the Snake made his move. He leaped to one side, wrapping one arm around Natia's neck as his other hand swiftly drew his knife from its sheath.
"One more step and she dies," Barakis hissed. "I want a boat lowered. I will take your little gypsy with me and let her off at the first island."
Mikal looked into Natia's eyes and she smiled in return.
"Alright," Mikal said, "but first I need to know what the note said that you gave to the people at Turtle Key."
"What does it matter?" spat Barakis. "Your voyage has been doomed from the start. We knew the Remora had been stolen. We had men in every port looking for it. Everyone knows that you are coming, and all of you will die. Who knows? I may be saving this one's life by taking her with me."
That was all Natia needed to hear. She grabbed his wrist with one hand and shoved her other elbow into the sailor's gut and spun free of his arm. Her free hand rose swiftly, the heel of her palm smashing into the sailor's jaw. Barakis stumbled backwards. Natia let go of his hand and dove away from him, her hand automatically reaching for a knife. Before Barakis could regain his footing, two Lanoirian stars and a knife penetrated his body. Karl stepped forward and checked for signs of life. Finding none, he pulled the two stars out and handed one back to Mikal. Natia retrieved her knife and wiped the blade on the dead sailor's clothes.
"Search his body, Karl," instructed Mikal, "and then toss it overboard to feed the fish. Perhaps that will clear the stench onboard."
* * *
When dawn broke eight days later, the cliffs of Zara were in view. The crew was mesmerized by the sight of a land that no one in Alcea knew existed. The Knights of Alcea, the Rangers, and the elves gathered on deck to stare at the high cliffs. Captain Gomery stood alongside them.
"You've made my life complete, Mikal Obanik," Captain Gomery said in awe. "I never doubted that there were Zarans out here somewhere, but never did I expect something so huge and grand. It's a whole nother world."
From a distance, the Needle was hard to see. While it was a fairly large cut to the inland sea, the towering cliffs on each side of it dwarfed it in size, and the Cliffs of Ranool hooked around to shield part of it from view. If they had not had a chart to guide them, they would have turned north or south, seeking a place to land.
"That is one protected harbor entrance," remarked Max Caber.
"It's much more than a harbor inside there," corrected Clint McFarren. "There is an inland sea beyond the Needle that is almost as large as the whole of old Targa."
Mikal had his scope out and was focusing on the Needle. Although Clint had estimated its width at almost twenty-five leagues, it looked extremely narrow from Mikal's viewpoint.
"Are you still confident on your estimate of the width of the Needle, Clint?" asked Mikal.
"We are still a couple of hours from it," replied the Ranger. "Plus the tip of the Cliffs of Ranool curve northward a bit. That would make it appear narrower."
"And how long would we be alongside those huge cliffs?" probed Mikal.
"About fifty leagues in length," replied Clint.
"So we would be sailing under those cliffs for the better part of a day then?" pressed Mikal.
"If the cliffs don't block the winds," answered Clint.
"Cliffs that large will create their own wind patterns," interjected Captain Gomery. "We might find that it acts like a funnel."
"In which direction?" asked Mikal.
"I have no idea," shrugged the captain. "I am just stating what I know about cliffs in general. Surely the Zarans must sail through there."
"No doubt they do," sighed Mikal, "but then they are welcome to."
"What is your concern, Mikal?" asked Max Caber.
&
nbsp; "I am not sure, Mikal replied, "but if I were a general in charge of defense of Zara, those cliffs would be ideal placements for heavy siege weapons. Even at twenty-five leagues between them, their height would allow for a tremendous advantage over any invasion force."
"Especially if you had a navy inside the Needle that could force an enemy to one side or the other," agreed Max. "I am beginning to feel a sense of your unease. Can you see anything with the scope?"
"No," frowned Mikal. "We are still too far away, and when we get closer the cliffs will be too high to see anything up there."
Tedi stuck his finger in his pocket and woke up Button. The little woman stuck her head out of the pocket and smiled at all the people gathered around.
"Can I do something for you?" she chirped.
"Better than anyone else I know," grinned Tedi. "We have a need to know what is on top of those tall cliffs. Can you do that without being detected?"
"Easily," boasted the fairy.
The tiny blue woman darted into the air and disappeared.
"Where else can we land if we don't care for the news that Button brings back?" asked Mikal.
"There are not a whole lot of choices on this coast," frowned Clint, "at least not according to this chart. There is a shipping lane that goes north to a city named Herinak, but that is a jaunt of three hundred leagues."
"And to the south?" asked Mikal.
"Nothing," Clint replied. "Of all the routes marked on the chart, not one of them goes south from here."
"Isn't that rather odd?" asked Karl.
"Not necessarily," answered the captain. "It is much the same in Alcea. There are sea routes in the Sordoan Sea and sea routes in the Targa Sea, but none connecting the two. It takes a certain lunacy to attempt to round the Horn of Lanoir in a ship. I won't say that it has never been done, but I will say that many have died trying."
"There is a long peninsula at the south end of Zara called the Boot," offered Clint. "Perhaps it is something akin to the Horn of Lanoir. We really have no way of knowing."
"Let's not forget what Barakis said," interjected Natia. "The Zarans know that we are coming. I think we are far better off landing in an uncivilized portion of Zara. Why try to sail in through their front door?"
"The Remora would surely stick out if we anchored it in anything other than a harbor," stated Shawn Cowen. "Remember, we need this ship to get back home and report what we have discovered."
"What is there to the south between us and the Boot?" asked Mikal.
"There are no cities or rivers shown on the chart," answered Clint. "The only marking at all is for a cape called Shark Point, and that is nearly as far as the city of Herinak to the north. I estimate it at two hundred and seventy-five leagues."
"Almost five days of sailing," interjected the captain. "If we are going to go either north or south, we are better to do it sooner rather than later."
"We will not decide until Button returns," declared Mikal.
They poured over the crude chart until the fairy returned. When Button swooped down and landed on Tedi's shoulder with an acrobatic flair, all conversations came to an immediate halt.
"There are massive siege engines atop the cliffs," reported Button. "They are much larger than anything the Lanoirians had in the last war."
"Both cliffs?" asked Mikal.
"Yes," reported the fairy. "There is also a fleet of ships just inside the cut. I think they are waiting for us."
"What makes you think that?" asked Yolinda.
"One of them mentioned something about waiting for a signal from the cliffs," answered Button, "and the men on the cliffs were pointing at this ship."
"Ship abeam starboard!" shouted Cirris.
Mikal swung immediately, bringing the scope to his eye. There was indeed a ship coming down from the north, and it wasn't hugging the coast.
"She's off the sailing route," remarked the captain, "and she's heading straight towards us."
"She is probably meant to close the barn door once we enter the Needle," suggested Max.
"This ship is not heading into the barn," decided Mikal. "Captain, take us south to Shark Point."
"Chanz," called the captain, "Take us to two-twenty and stay well clear of those cliffs. Make full speed."
Chanz shouted orders from the helm, and the sailors raced to comply. Max and Clint sprinted forward to lend a hand, and Mikal swung around to bring the Needle into focus. At first he noticed no change in the Needle, but he kept the scope focused on it. If the fairy's information was correct, the Zaran ships would soon be sailing into the cut.
"You won't see them," commented the captain. "Even if they have already moved into the Needle, the distance is too far to see them, even with your scope."
Mikal lowered the scope as he realized that the captain was correct. "That also means that they will be a fair distance behind us," he said.
"Indeed," grinned the captain. "We could disappear, and they would have no idea where we went, except for that ship to our north. He has more than one purpose. While he may have been meant to seal the Needle behind us, he is also a spotter to keep track of us. We have to figure out a way to lose him."
"But not until we are clear of those cliffs," nodded Mikal. "I am sure that they are keeping track of us, too, and they don't have any problem with the distance being too great."
"Not from a vantage point like that," agreed the captain. "They probably sighted us at dawn this morning."
"And they will keep track of us as long as the cliffs continue," added Mikal.
"Do you think they have a way to communicate with the ships?" asked the captain.
"Button said that the ships were waiting for a signal," reminded Tedi. "I would suspect that they are used to signaling ships."
"Then we have a long run ahead us," declared Captain Gomery. "We will need to nurse the winds carefully to stay ahead of the spotter. If we can't lose him by the time we reach Shark Point, it will be too dangerous to anchor there. I am sure that the rest of the fleet will be behind the spotter."
Mikal contemplated silently for a while before nodding in agreement. "If they know we are coming, and that is a fair assessment I think, they will commit whatever resources they have to capturing or killing us. There is no way that I can allow you to anchor off Shark Point, but we could stop there long enough to allow me and my warriors to disembark."
"Disembark?" the captain echoed with concern. "And what am I and the crew supposed to do?"
"Find a place to hide the ship," answered Mikal. "We need the Remora to return to Alcea. We cannot afford for the Zarans to find it."
"Hiding a ship this size will not be easy," remarked the captain. "And if we do succeed in hiding her, how will you ever find us for the return trip?"
"The fairies," smiled Mikal. "That is one of their many purposes. Squirt has been assigned to you and the ship. If I were you, I would keep her presence a secret, but she will be able to contact the rest of us."
"In a land as big as Zara?" scoffed Captain Gomery. "I find that hard to believe."
"It won't be as hard as you think," replied Mikal. "We will try to keep you updated as to our travels once you find the hiding place and inform us of it. The fairies are tireless in their pursuit to deliver a message. Do not underestimate them."
Chapter 9
Claws are the Key
As the sky began to lighten on the fifth day, Mikal pointed to a spit of land jutting out into the sea off the starboard bow.
"That must be Shark Point," he said. "We can finally put the cliffs behind us."
"Speaking of behind us," commented Tedi, "How can the Zaran ship keep gaining on us? She gets closer each morning."
Captain Gomery turned and looked astern. "She's keeping a lot closer to the land than we are," he remarked. "I suspect that the current we are fighting is less powerful close to shore. It's a bit too much like swimming upstream for my taste, but running under the cliffs would not have been a wise move for us."
"W
e would not have lasted long," Mikal said in agreement as he brought the scope to his eye. "It is quite a mature forest on Shark Point. We could probably hide fairly well, but the ship following will not miss seeing us disembarking."
"I think it would be suicidal," commented Karl Gree. "The Zarans obviously know right where we are. Wouldn't you dispatch troops to Shark Point if you were in their place?"
"Are you suggesting we stay on the ship?" asked Tedi.
"I think we must," answered Karl. "We are just getting out of sight for those on the cliffs, but we still have this Zaran ship on our heels. If we give it another day, perhaps we can sink the Zaran ship and then look for a suitable place to anchor."
"There is a lot of wisdom in your words," Mikal said as he lowered his scope. "Besides, I now understand where this place got its name. There are swarms of sharks between us and the coast."
"May I look?" asked Shawn Cowen.
Mikal nodded and handed the scope to the Ranger.
"That is quite interesting," Shawn murmured as he peered through the scope. "I have never seen anything like it. It is either a breeding ground for sharks, of there is something around that point that keeps them well fed. There are thousands of them."
"Not a place I want to go swimming," Tedi remarked.
"Well," sighed the captain, "we have to make a decision soon. If we round Shark Point, we will find ourselves in a rather large bay, but a bay it will be. Should we then change our minds and decide to go around the Boot, the Zaran ship will be able to head us off. I would not fancy a naval engagement in waters with swarms of sharks."
"How far is the Boot?" asked Mikal.
"Over two hundred leagues," answered Clint McFarren. "Figure another four days of sailing."
"That would take us well beyond the Sea of Tears," frowned Mikal. "Remember, the farther we sail to the south or west, the farther we have to walk back."
"I don't mind walking," shrugged Karl. "It is certainly preferable to swimming through sharks. I do have to agree that we need to either lose the ship following us or destroy it before we make landfall."
"I agree," said Yolinda. "As much as I would like to be off this ship, I want to do so without immediately being surrounded by Zarans."
Final Voyage of the Remora Page 11
