by James Wyatt
Janik nodded. “I know that feeling. Would you like to ferry us down the western coast? I can pay you pretty well, but I can’t pretend it’s not dangerous.”
“And danger is exactly what I want less of,” Avaen said. “I appreciate the offer, but I must decline.”
“I understand. What will you do, then?”
“I think I’ll take a position in my house enclave here, at least for a while. I don’t think I can be landbound for too long-perhaps in a year or so, the sea will call me back. In the meantime, Stormreach will be a change of pace, something new to help me-” He broke off.
He didn’t need to finish. Janik understood. A change of pace was exactly what he had needed three years ago, after Maija disappeared with Krael. He raised his mug, and Avaen raised his to meet it, his eyebrow arched quizzically.
“To fresh starts,” Janik said.
“To fresh starts,” Avaen repeated. They clinked their mugs together and finished their drinks in silence.
Janik spent the rest of the afternoon making inquiries around the docks about Hope’s Endeavor. By sunset, he was confident that the ship had not arrived yet-or someone had paid large amounts of money to keep news of her arrival silent. Janik found no one who was expecting the ship to pull into port, even though many people in Stormreach recognized the names of Captain Nashan and his ship. That the ship was not expected was hardly surprising-had Nashan left in a hurry under pressure from Krael, he would not have sent word ahead. Doing so would have little point, at any rate, since travel through the Teeth was so unpredictable. By the day’s end, Janik was satisfied that they had docked in Stormreach before Krael. A minor victory, perhaps, but it was the first in some time, and Janik savored it.
A satisfied smile on his face, he made his way to the restaurant to meet his friends. Forest’s Bounty was inland, away from the docks, and it catered to people who were sick of eating fish on long sea voyages. Janik had discovered it on his first trip to Xen’drik and had declared it his customary site for the first meal after coming ashore. Instead of the seafood prevalent in most Stormreach restaurants, it offered venison and tapir, along with a wide variety of vegetables, mushrooms, and fruits.
When Janik arrived, he found Mathas and Auftane already seated, chatting like old friends as they picked chunks of yellow and orange fruit from a bowl with long, slender forks. He nodded at the headwaiter, whose name he couldn’t remember, and sat down next to Mathas, his back to the door.
“Ah, good evening!” Auftane said, raising a glass of wine to Janik and taking a drink. “Your elf friend has been telling me about your past adventures in Xen’drik.” Mathas looked a little sheepish, and Janik guessed that they had been talking about their last adventure and all the drama that surrounded it.
“And are you still interested in accompanying us?” Janik asked.
“I certainly am, if you will have me.”
“Well, Mathas, what do you think? Should we drag this dwarf across the desert with us? Will he slow us down too much?”
Mathas smiled his thin smile. “I think that any slowing of our pace will be more than compensated by the contributions Auftane will make along the way.”
“Well spoken, Mathas,” Janik said. “In my opinion, you more than adequately proved yourself in our battle against the sahuagin.”
Dania’s voice floated over Janik’s shoulder. “How would you know? You spent half that battle practicing your back stroke.”
Janik turned as Dania took the empty seat on his right. “I could tell that you all had the situation well in hand,” he said. “I wanted to prevent any further assault from the water.”
“Worried the sharks might climb up on deck?” Dania said, and Auftane guffawed.
Janik narrowed his eyes. “You never know,” he said in a mysterious whisper. “Especially where the sea devils are concerned.” He joined the others in their laughter.
“So I can come along?” Auftane asked.
“Dania, you don’t have any objection, do you?” Janik asked.
Dania paused, staring at Auftane a moment. Apparently satisfied, she shook her head. “No,” she said, “I agree with Janik. You’ve more than proven your worth, Auftane. You are most welcome.”
“Thank you,” Auftane said, getting to his feet. He grabbed Dania’s hand and shook it. “I won’t let you down, I promise.” He did the same to Mathas and Janik before sitting down again.
Janik leaned across the table and looked to both sides, at Mathas and Dania. “Was I ever that enthusiastic about risking my life in Xen’drik?”
“Well, let me think,” Dania said. Mathas put his hand to his mouth, barely covering his grin. “There was that first trip, when you pretended to be terrified of the Emerald Claw but couldn’t wait to get into the jungle.”
“And there was the time with the river shrine,” Mathas said.
“Oh, right, with the lobster thing,” Dania said. “What did you call it, Mathas? A chewer?”
“Chuul,” Mathas corrected.
“Chuul, right. Yes, you were a little excited that trip. And when we found the Temple of Sondar Thaj in the Marsh of Desolation.”
“But you’ve grown much more jaded recently,” Mathas said.
“Indeed! When you thought you might have figured out where Mel-Aqat was, I would say your childlike enthusiasm was moderately diminished.”
“I think you’ve made your point,” Janik said. “So I like this work.”
“And you know we wouldn’t be here with you if we didn’t share some of that enthusiasm,” Dania said, putting a hand on Janik’s folded arms.
“Not me,” Mathas said. “I hate Xen’drik. I’m only here because someone needs to keep an eye on you children.”
“Well, Auftane is coming with us now,” Janik said. “He’s an adult who can watch over us. Do you want to stay behind?”
“Hmm,” Mathas said. “How old are you, Auftane?”
“I have just passed my eightieth summer,” the dwarf replied. “I am considered an adult by my people.” He turned to Janik. “Surely you are as well?”
“Well, I’m thirty-six,” Janik said, “and Dania-you’d be thirty-eight, right?”
“I would have thought you were much younger,” Auftane said to Dania.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Dania said with a playful scowl. “My elven ancestry keeps me looking young. Like Mathas here.” She gestured at the venerable elf.
Mathas pretended to be hurt. “That was impolite,” he said, running a hand over the bald crown of his head. “I’m sorry, Auftane, but until you have completed a century, you’re still a child in my reckoning. No, it won’t do. I’ll have to accompany you once again.” They all laughed.
“So it’s settled. We’re all going to Mel-Aqat,” Janik said. “Now let’s get down to business. We have an expedition to plan. I want to be out of town before Krael arrives. I want to stay as far ahead of him as we can, so there’s no chance of him getting to the ruins before us.”
“I agree,” Dania said. “So what’s our plan?”
Janik pulled a sheaf of weathered parchments from his coat, rifled through the pages, and produced a crude map. He spread it out on the table so all could see.
“Last time, we traveled through a lot more desert than we had to,” he said. “Auftane, from clues in several ancient texts, I had determined that Mel-Aqat lay somewhere in the desert here, between the Fangs of Argarak and this smaller mountainous area, the Sun Pillars. We took a keelboat on the river to the western coast and down the coastline here”-he traced his finger on the map to show their route-“to this inlet. We wanted to get as far inland as we could before starting across the desert, but we still had a lot of desert to cover. I think this time, we should come ashore here”-he pointed to a stretch of coast farther north. “That way we can cross this region, the Wasting Plains-”
“Oh, that sounds much better than the desert,” Dania said, rolling her eyes.
“It will be,” Janik said. “It’s
dry, but not nearly as bad as Menechtarun. At least something grows there, even if it is mostly brambles. You have to remember that the first explorers of Xen’drik were prone to giving the landscape some fairly dramatic names. So if we cross the Wasting Plains north of the Sun Pillars, we can enter the desert from the north, and have a shorter trek across the sun-blasted sand than we had last time.”
“I am definitely in favor of minimizing our exposure to sun-blasted sand,” Mathas said, nodding.
“In fact, if we stick close to the mountains to the east here,” Janik added, “we might even find water. I suspect that some streams flow down from the mountains before they dry up completely in the desert.”
“I don’t think we should bet on that,” Dania said. “I think most of the water will just flow down the other side of the mountain range.”
“You’re right-we’ll bring water anyway,” Janik said. “It’s just nice, sometimes, to find it fresh in a stream instead of drinking it from a skin.”
“So we need to find a ship to carry us down the coast,” Mathas said.
“Right,” Janik said. “I asked Captain Avaen if he would be willing to take us, but he declined. So we’ll need to see what our letter of credit can accomplish. Instead of hugging the coast, we could go straight across the Phoenix Basin here, then use a launch to come ashore. The problem is that it’s extremely dangerous and the waters aren’t well charted. That makes most commercial captains unwilling to try it.”
“How much time are we looking at?” Dania asked.
“We’ll be stuck with two months of overland trekking no matter what we do, just to get from the coast to Mel-Aqat. But sailing across the Basin …” Janik did some quick measurements on the map and some figuring in his head. “We might make it in … four months total? Compared to the eight months it took us last time, when we took a keelboat down the coast.”
“Trimming four months off the journey sounds like it would be worth a lot of money,” Dania said.
“I agree. But I don’t know if it will be possible. I’m willing to look into it, if you all agree it’s the way to go.” He looked around at his friends. “I’m sure this town is full of people willing to risk their lives for a small fortune. Or a large one. I hope the Keeper of the Flame isn’t having second thoughts about this letter of credit.”
“The wealth of a nation is not easily depleted,” Mathas said.
“Though I can’t imagine she’d be happy to learn that funds from the Cathedral were going to some pirate captain,” Dania added, frowning. “What are the chances of finding someone at least vaguely reputable to take us?”
Janik rolled his eyes. “You might as well ask if we could find an honest merchant in Callestan.” The inn district in the lowest reaches of Sharn was notorious for the crooked deals constantly occurring there.
Auftane laughed, but Dania glared at Janik. “You’re pretty quick to assume the worst,” she said.
“You know this city as well as I do. Maybe the city’s not run by pirates any more-”
“Or maybe it is,” Auftane interrupted. “Just dressed up to look fairer.”
“Fair enough,” Janik said. “Like I said, no commercial captain is likely to risk his ship crossing the Basin. And there are no other cities down the coast-a captain can’t carry cargo at the same time to make it worthwhile. We’re going to pay for this in dragonshards, and we’re going to get someone who cares only about the money. The alternative is going down the coast, like we did last time, and taking the eight months.”
“Let me look,” Dania said.
“What?”
“Let me look for a captain. If I can find someone I trust, we’ll cross the Basin and get there in four months. If not, we take the coast and the eight months.”
“And let Krael take a pirate ship and get there in four?”
“Just let me look.”
“Who do you think you’re going to find? A former pirate who’s got religion and given up his pirating ways, but can’t find honest work because of his checkered past? Or maybe a paladin ship captain who’ll take us because he believes in our mission?”
“If I can’t find someone, then we’ll decide what to do.”
Janik threw up his hands. “Sea of Fire, you’re stubborn!” He clenched his jaw, then sighed. “We need a couple of days to get supplies anyway. You can look tonight and all day tomorrow. But if you haven’t found someone by the next morning, I’m taking over. And we’ll use whoever will give us the best deal. Or really, whoever will take us-I don’t think we’re in a position to be choosy.”
“Just let me-”
“Yes! You can look!” Janik laughed and Auftane was quick to join in. Mathas grinned, and after a moment, even Dania cracked a smile.
“I knew you’d listen to reason,” she said.
The next morning, as Dania set off on her fool’s errand, Janik took Mathas and Auftane to gather supplies for the journey. They planned for four months of food and gear-two months aboard ship, where their only food would be whatever stores they carried with them, and two months in the wilds, where they could supplement their rations with hunting and foraging. They bought two tents, and Auftane purchased a new backpack. They joined Dania for dinner in the evening, and all four of them were exhausted from a long day of scouring the city. Dania had not yet found a reputable captain to take them across the Basin, but she refused to admit defeat.
“I’ll look more tonight and in the morning,” Dania said. “You gave me that long. And I have a good lead.”
“Whatever you say, Dania,” Janik replied.
They were all so tired that their conversation during supper was subdued. Janik went to bed early, planning the first places he would look for a captain in the morning as he drifted to sleep.
Janik slept late and stumbled out of bed with the sun already creeping high in the sky. He dressed and went to Dania’s room, knocking on her door. She didn’t answer, so he went downstairs, hoping to find some breakfast before starting the day’s work. Pushing open the inn door, he nearly bumped into Dania.
“Well, good morning!” she said, smiling warmly. “Janik, I’d like you to meet Breddan Omaar.” She gestured to the tall hobgoblin at her side. Breddan clasped a fist to his chest and gave a small bow. “Breddan, fith a’aeran Janik Martell,” she croaked.
“Your Goblin is appalling, Dania,” Janik said in Goblin. He returned Breddan’s gesture of greeting. “Your ancestors’ swords were keen and strong,” he said formally.
“Your Goblin is very good, Janik Martell,” Breddan said in perfect Common. “It is an honor to meet you. I have heard much about you, even before I met Dania this morning. She, of course, is unstinting in her praise of you.”
“Well, thank you,” Janik said, looking from Dania to the hobgoblin. He wondered how Breddan interpreted his relationship with Dania. Just for a moment, he wondered what Dania’s interpretation was.
“Why don’t we sit down and talk, Janik?” she said. “Where were you heading?”
“I was going to look for some breakfast.”
“What are you hungry for, Janik Martell?” Breddan said. “I know Stormreach like my ancestral home.”
“Well, when I’m at home, I like a pastry.”
“I know the best place for pastry, not far from here. Follow me!” Breddan started down the street. Janik arched an eyebrow at Dania, who just smiled and took his arm, pulling him along behind the hobgoblin.
“Breddan has a small sailing ship,” Dania said as they walked.
“Do you?” Janik said.
“A miserable vessel,” Breddan replied over his shoulder, “but with the blessing of the Flame, he will carry you across the Phoenix Basin.”
Janik arched his eyebrow at Dania again, and said under his breath, “So which is he? The ex-pirate or the paladin?”
Dania jabbed her elbow into Janik’s ribs, her lips silently forming a “Sh!” Breddan led them around a corner to a small bakery, and Janik nodded his approval. The smell
s coming from inside made his stomach rumble, and he never would have found the place on his own. He owed Breddan at least a hearing for that. He bought pastries for everyone, and they sat at a small table to talk.
“So you’re willing to take us across the Phoenix Basin?” he asked Breddan.
“Well, your friend informed me that you could pay well, and I am in need of income,” the hobgoblin replied.
“What’s your story? You carry cargo normally?”
“I would, but few merchants are willing to entrust their goods to my care.”
“Why is that? Your ship is seaworthy, right?”
“It is not my ship that scares away customers, I’m afraid. Many find it difficult to put their faith in an heir of Dhakaan such as myself.” Almost unconsciously, Janik translated the phrase-heir of Dhakaan-into the goblin tongue: Dhakaan kurrashan. It was a far more elegant term than the clumsy Common word, goblinoid, and conjured echoes of the ancient glory of the goblin empire. “Many are quick to assume I am a pirate.”
Janik looked away from Breddan, glancing out the window. He was embarrassed at his own hasty assessment of the captain.
“I made inquiries with the local church of the Silver Flame,” Dania interjected. “They told me they knew of a captain in need of work.”
“The Silver Flame has saved my life, in more ways than one. I was born into slavery here in Stormreach. I did menial tasks aboard a merchant ship, but I watched everything and learned the sailor’s craft. A noble paladin who made a fortune fighting the evil of this dark land bought me and set me free. I found work as a sailor and began to learn the captain’s craft. Eventually I saved enough money to buy my own ship, but since then I have had little work.”
“Let’s talk specifics,” Janik said. “How long will it take to cross the Phoenix Basin?”
“Where exactly is your destination?”
Janik pulled the worn map from his coat pocket and smoothed it out on the table. “We’d like to make land about here.” He pointed to the western end of the Wasted Plain.
