Mikal stared at the spit of land growing larger before the ship, and then turned to see the Zaran vessel behind them. Slowly he nodded in agreement.
"Can you find your way out of this current?" he asked the captain.
"I can try," answered Captain Gomery, "but there are no guarantees."
"Understood," sighed Mikal. "Try to get out of the current and head for the Boot. We need to somehow increase our lead over the Zaran ship."
* * *
The sea monster was a huge serpentine creature with claws larger than the Remora. The elves fired arrows laced with fire glue into the creature, but nothing happened. The arrows did not ignite and nothing burned. The Rangers fired their metal harpoons directly into the creature's face, but they seemed to pass right through the sea monster. Suddenly, one of the monstrous claws clamped down on the Remora and snipped it in two. Screams of death and pain ripped through the air and bodies were thrown into the water.
Mikal searched the murky water looking for Yolinda, but all he could see were more giant claws. The claws were everywhere, and then one came for him. It appeared to happen in slow motion, and the claw opened and closed rhythmically as it came unerringly directly towards him. Each snap of the claw sounded like a fist slamming on a door.
Mikal opened his eyes and bolted upright in bed. Sweat was pouring down his brow, and Yolinda sat up with concern.
"You look ill," Yolinda said softly. "Should I tell whoever is at the door to go away?"
Mikal looked in confusion at his wife and then at the door. Another knock pounded on it, and he began to understand.
"No," Mikal said softly as he rose and hastily dressed. "I could use a walk anyway."
It was the middle of the night three days beyond Shark Point. Mikal opened the door to find Clint McFarren waiting for him.
"Sorry," the Ranger said. "We have a plan to lose the Zaran ship, but the captain wants your approval."
"Let's go then," Mikal said as he stepped into the companionway and eased the door closed.
Captain Gomery and Max Caber were in the galley with the chart spread out when they arrived. They looked at Mikal with concern and curiosity.
"What have you got?" asked Mikal.
"I think I have a handle on the currents here," answered Clint as he pointed to the chart. "The main current comes around the bottom of the Boot and flows up towards the Cliffs of Ranool, but there is a spur of the current that appears to wrap around the Boot and feed into the bay."
"How do we know this?" asked Mikal.
"I can attest to the joining of the currents near Shark Point," stated the captain. "At one point we had two currents converging on us, one out of the bay and one head on. I managed to get out of the main current by going a bit north of it. Now I am starting to feel a tear in the currents as if a leg of the stream is flowing northward."
"How does this get rid of the Zaran ship?" asked Mikal.
"I think we can use the lantern to our advantage once again," grinned Max Caber. "I'm thinking that if we could attach a lantern to something solid and set it adrift in the current heading north, the Zaran ship will follow it."
"And I told them that you expressly forbade using the lantern to trick the Zarans," stated the captain.
"The Zarans would never fall for the trick we used the last time," Mikal nodded to the captain, "because we have never been far enough ahead to feign going over the horizon. I think what Max has in mind is quite different."
"Indeed it is," smiled Max. "It will only throw the Zarans off for a few hours, but that will buy us time to put some distance between us and them."
"Do you think they will buy into it?" asked Mikal as he looked at Clint.
"I do," declared Clint. "I think it is obvious to them that we do not know where we are going. We hesitated outside the Needle and again at Shark Point. It is fairly logical that when we ran into the Boot that we might decide to explore it for an anchorage."
"So you plan to go around the Boot then?" asked Mikal.
"We have to," nodded Clint. "We have had this Zaran on our tail for nine days now. I have to imagine that sooner or later there will be another Zaran ship before us. On the other side of the Boot are hundreds of islands. This chart has no details on those islands, but they must offer some potential for hiding while the Zaran ship passes us by."
"The name of those islands does not warm my heart," frowned Mikal. "Do you suppose there is a reason for such terminology?"
"Isles of the Lost?" chuckled Max. "That is probably just a colorful name given by the locals."
"Like Shark Point?" scowled Captain Gomery. "Or the Needle?"
"We don't have a lot of choices here," interjected Clint. "If we do anything other than round the Boot, we will have to fight the Zarans. We don't have to lose that battle to die. All they have to do is cripple this ship in some way and the rest of the Zaran fleet will be upon us."
"And we are down two sailors," Captain Gomery pointed out. "Your men cannot crew and fight at the same time."
"And we need to make a decision now," added Max. "Once we sail past the point where the currents split, our plan will no longer work."
Mikal leaned over the chart, and his eyes fell upon the largest of the Isles of the Lost. A shudder ran through his body as he read the name, but he nodded with understanding.
"Create the diversion," ordered Mikal as he stabbed his finger on the chart. "Captain, I want you and Clint to work up a plan to take us to Claw Key."
"Claw Key?" Clint asked questioningly. "Why there?"
"Why not?" asked Mikal.
"For one," frowned Clint, "the waters in that whole area are incredibly shallow, at least on this chart. The chart maker treated it almost as land. I have to believe it is almost shallow enough to walk across."
"Then the Zarans won't be searching in there for a ship," smiled Mikal.
"I'll say they won't," retorted Clint. "And for good reason they won't. I don't think we can do it. We'll run aground for sure."
"Then we'll walk from there," countered Mikal. "Create the diversion and buy us some time, Max."
Max nodded and pulled on Clint's arm as he left the galley to create the diversion. Captain Gomery remained and stared at Mikal questioningly.
"Why Claw Key?" he asked softly.
Mikal turned and stared into the captain's eyes. For a moment he said nothing, but the captain did not look away.
"Because of a dream," admitted Mikal. "The claw is the key to our dilemma. I know it may make me appear insane, but I feel strongly that it is the right move."
"Aye," the captain smiled compassionately, "it does make you appear insane, but then what does one think of a whole shipful of people who will eagerly follow you into your insanity?"
Mikal chuckled, grateful for the levity to break his feeling of dread.
"You mentioned one night that it was dreams that made you think of this voyage in the first place," the captain continued. "Why fight those dreams now?"
"Because I feel as if I am not in control," explained Mikal. "I am used to making hard decisions on the basis of insufficient facts, but it bothers me to have dreams dictate my course through life."
"Do you have them often?" asked Captain Gomery.
"Thankfully, no," sighed Mikal. "This is the first one I have had since we left Atar's Cove."
"Then dreams are hardly dictating your course," smiled the captain. "We can all use a little help now and then. Be thankful that someone is watching over you."
Mikal looked thoughtfully at the captain for a moment and then nodded. "I will be eternally thankful if the dreams are driving me in the right direction," he said to the captain, "but there are other possibilities as well."
"Like the Zarans drawing you deeper into a web?" asked Captain Gomery.
"That thought has crossed my mind," nodded Mikal, "and it troubles me that I might be dragging others along with me."
"You are not dragging me anywhere," the captain said cheerily. "I am having the voy
age of a lifetime. Despite the dangers and battles, I would rather be here than anywhere else in the world. It makes me feel young again."
Mikal smiled at the captain and rose to his feet. "I should go topside and help with the diversion."
The captain rose and placed a hand on Mikal's arm. "I will get you to Claw Key," he promised. "One way or another, I will make that chart maker into a liar."
Mikal smiled and nodded and then went up on deck. He found Clint and Max at the stern rail. They had four water barrels lashed together in a pyramid and they were attaching the stern lantern to the top barrel.
"Will it stay upright?" asked Mikal.
"It will," declared Clint. "The bottom three barrels are partially filled. It may bob and weave a bit more than a ship, but not noticeably so from a distance. The best part will be when the dawn comes, and the lantern runs out of oil. The Zarans will have noted the last position of the lantern, but they won't be able to see a ship. I am hoping that they take a long time searching before they find our barrels."
"Clever," grinned Mikal.
Max and Clint finished attaching the lantern and then tried to maneuver it over the rail.
"Hold," interrupted Mikal. "Wake up your fairy. They are useful for more than just carrying messages."
Clint glanced questioningly at Mikal, but he followed orders. He woke up the tiny man in his pocket. Runt stuck out his head and stretched. He looked around at the people gathered and then looked up at Clint.
"Well?" Runt asked. "Surely, you didn't wake me just for amusement?"
"You never can tell," chuckled Mikal. "You are pretty amusing when you wake up. Clint has a levitation task for you, Runt."
"Levitation?" Clint echoed with surprise. "Right," he cleared his throat with authority. "This assemblage of barrels needs to be carefully deposited into the sea."
"That's it?" Runt asked with a tone that indicated that the task was hardly worth waking up for.
"And make sure it is situated in the current properly to flow north," Mikal added.
The fairy frowned and gazed skyward to determine north. With a shrug of his tiny shoulders, Runt leaped from the pocket and hovered over the barrels. Slowly the barrels began to lift off the deck, and the Rangers moved back to give the fairy room. Ever so slowly the fairy levitated the barrels over the rail and began to lower them into the sea.
"Amazing," Clint remarked. "What else can they do?"
"They know some magic," answered Mikal. "Their primary spell puts people to sleep, but they can also create images of things they have seen. That should prove tremendously helpful in charting the continent. They also have limited abilities to change their form, but I have rarely seen a need for it. They are fairly hard to detect in their current form."
"He's got it," Max declared. "The Zarans will now think we have turned northward to explore the east coast of the Boot."
* * *
"I don't understand how you are doing it," Clint McFarren said to the captain. "According to the chart, there is no water in here."
"Think about it," smiled the captain. "That mighty current that we have been fighting since the Needle has to start somewhere. All I am doing is following it. As soon as I feel us moving out of the current, I move back into it."
"But this whole area is nothing but swamp," retorted Clint. "The current could flow through any part of it."
"I'd wager it does," replied the captain. "I imagine that the current changes every day, but we are only interested in where it is today. I am sure that the island on our right is Claw Key."
"Island?" scoffed Max. "That isn't anything but a bog. Oh, it might have a tree here and there, but you couldn't walk across that island and keep your boots dry."
"Maybe not," shrugged the captain, "but this is where Mikal wanted to go, and I aim to please him."
"And please him you have," Mikal greeted the captain as he approached the helm. "So this is the infamous Claw Key?"
"We think so," nodded Clint. "It certainly is large enough if you consider it all one landmass. That is almost assuredly the Pincher on our left. That is part of the mainland."
"So we could get off at any time?" asked Tedi.
"Not yet," Mikal shook his head. "The farther northeast the captain can take us, the less we have to walk. I also think we should get as far into this swamp as possible in case the Zarans do decide to search in here for the Remora."
"I can hardly wait to get my feet on solid ground again," Natia interjected longingly.
"That may be some time from now," chuckled Clint. "There is no solid ground around for leagues."
"How wide do you think this current is?" Max asked the captain.
"It's not very wide," answered Captain Gomery. "Maybe a few hundred paces to either side of us. It was over a league wide when we started up this channel. You can actually see the edges if you look close enough. There is a rip line where you can see plants and debris being gathered into the current."
"I see it," announced Natia. "Where is all the water coming from?"
"Probably a river," answered the captain. "Or maybe a score of rivers. It's a decent flow of water."
"Any sign of the Zaran ship?" asked Mikal.
"Not since the Boot five days ago," the captain replied. "Although he has a good chance to catch up to us now. We are not making very good headway against this current, but it is getting us to where you want to go."
Mikal stuck a finger into his pocket and roused Bitsy to life. The tiny woman woke cheerily and leaped onto Mikal's shoulder.
"How may I be of service?" she chirped.
"I want you to fly on ahead," instructed Mikal. "We are looking for two different places. First, we need to find a good hiding spot for the Remora, preferably with some tall trees that will be able to block the view of the masts. Once you have found that, we need a place on the mainland with enough water for the Remora to get close. We don't need to go all the way to shore, but we shouldn't have to row for hours either."
"I shall find a spot for the Remora that even an ogre could not find," promised the fairy.
The tiny blue woman leaped into the air and darted northward. Mikal shook his head and laughed.
"Ogres are not very smart," he said to himself. "I hope she finds a place that Zarans cannot find."
Bitsy did not return that day, and Mikal grew worried for the tiny fairy. He spent most of the night at the helm with Chanz as the mate tried to keep the Remora within the bounds of the ever-decreasing channel of fast-moving current. When morning arrived and there was still no sign of Bitsy, Mikal thought about sending another fairy out to find her.
"She'll be back," Yolinda said comfortingly as Smokey sat staring up at the sky. "Go down and get some sleep. I will wake you when she returns."
Mikal hesitated and began to speak, but Yolinda pressed her fingers to his lips.
"Go rest," she said in a motherly tone.
Mikal nodded and headed for the hatchway. He had almost made it across the deck when Bitsy swooped down out of the sky and almost crashed onto his shoulder.
"What is the matter?" Mikal asked with alarm.
"I was almost dinner," panted the fairy. "A huge bird has been stalking me all night."
"What kind of bird?" asked Mikal.
"I do not know birds well," scowled Bitsy. "I try to avoid them whenever I can. All I know is that he had large, sharp claws and a huge beak. His head was round like an orange and his eyes glowed."
"Probably an owl," Yolinda said as she tried to soothe the fairy. "You would think an owl would know better than to mess with a fairy," she added with a grin.
"Right," Bitsy said while trying to sound braver than she felt. "Besides, he just wasted his time when he could have been hunting. And all the while I was safe in that tree and catching up on my sleep."
Mikal and Yolinda smiled at each other.
"Did you complete your mission?" asked Mikal.
"Oh yes," brightened the fairy. "I found a cove that is ideal for the Rem
ora. It is one of the few places on Claw Key with decent trees. No one will find the ship in there."
"Come to the galley and show me on the chart," Mikal said optimistically.
Captain Gomery and Clint followed Mikal to the galley and Clint spread out the chart. Bitsy jumped down from Mikal's shoulder and walked across the chart.
"Right where I am standing is where you will want to anchor the Remora," Bitsy said. "And this is the best place for a landing on the mainland," she added as she walked across the chart and stood on the shore.
"How deep is the water?" asked the captain.
"I did not dive to the bottom," answered the fairy, "but you can tell by the color of the water. Let me show you."
The fairy closed her eyes and a mist appeared over the chart. Captain Gomery backed away, but Mikal put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The mist began to swirl and a cove came into view. There was a sandy curve of narrow beach around the cove before the dense vegetation began. Sitting in the midst of the dense vegetation was a line of tall trees that wrapped almost completely around the cove. Captain Gomery nodded in appreciation of the anchorage.
The image moved as Bitsy mentally flew around the cove and then headed for the mainland. A thin dark blue streak threaded its way through the lighter colored water. As the mainland grew near, Bitsy diverted from the deep water to a large sandy area on the coast of the mainland.
"That seems perfect on both counts," Mikal commented. "You have done well, Bitsy."
The image vanished and the fairy grinned broadly. "The best part is that the second place is on the way to the cove," she said. "The captain can drop you off and then hide the ship."
"That sounds like a plan," stated Clint. "How long before we get there?"
"Two or three hours," answered Bitsy.
"Then we have our work cut out for us," declared Clint. "It will take us almost that long to get everything ready."
"Go see to it, Clint," ordered Mikal. "I need to have some words with the captain before we leave."
Clint nodded and went to tell the others about their departure from the Remora. Mikal indicated that the captain should sit and then he sat down himself.
Final Voyage of the Remora Page 12
