Longing Ring

21

Charneale, the kaer's magician, took his mother away after she tried to kill J'role. No one saw her for many days.

His father remained at home, and no one came to visit. The two of them, Bevarden and J’role, sat in their home, both silent. At first Bevarden simply looked out beyond a place that did not exist. A few days later he began to cry on occasion, and held J'role close.

After that he began to stare at J'role strangely. J'role spent more and more time in his room.

J'role, Releana, and Bevarden waited a few moments on the dock while one of the sailors went to get the captain. Four other sailors remained behind, and J 'role thought their clothes even more startling close up. Scarves wrapped around their heads, baggy blouses and loose vests, pants that billowed around their thin legs. The colors were an eyesore of lightning blues, sunrise reds, sea of grass greens, and midday sun yellows. Although they had green scales for skin and long, sharp talons for fingers, their good natured smiles seemed perfectly at home on their reptilian features.

"You've never heard of the Breeton!" exclaimed a sailor named Voponis in response to Releana's question. He wore shiny yellow and scarlet clothes and a rapier at his side.

"Why, of all the t'skrang ships that sails the Serpent, there is none finer!"

"Then we'll be fortunate to secure passage on it."

"Him," the sailor corrected.

"Him?"

"Captain Patrochian calls the ship a 'him,' and so will you. Captain's choice, you know."

"No," Releana said with a smile, very interested. "I didn't know that."

"That's one of the rules. The sailing life is full of rules, as I'm sure you understand, you being a magician. When you live by the rules, the river carries you and you float."

"Stories say the Therans had air ships," said another sailor. "But what sport is that? Give me water roiling under me, a river as big as the Serpent. Then I'll show you moving!"

"When we stood at the lip of the river valley," Releana said, "we saw the Breeton fighting another ship …"

"The Restorii," said Voponis. "They don't want us setting up trade ties with the kingdom of Throal. Stupid fekas. They're afraid the dwarfs will get too much power now that the Therans are gone. But we need someone powerful if we want to trade. The dwarfs promised to help us."

"The captain knows people in Throal?" asked Releana.

"Indeed. We'll be meeting envoys from Throal a ways down the Serpent in a few days."

Releana turned back and smiled to J'role.

"Have you an interest in Throal?" asked the sailor.

"It is our destination."

"Then you are in luck!" cried Captain Patrochian as she slammed onto the boards of the dock, landing in the center of the group. She flashed her triangular white teeth in a broad grin, whipped off her hat and bowed low. "Captain Patrochian at your service," she exclaimed, then extended her long green hand to each one in turn.

"Releana," said Releana, bowing to match the captain.

As the captain put her hand out to J'role, J'role took it with a bow as well. Releana said,

"He cannot speak. I call him Grim."

At that all the sailors pulled back from J'role, and he thought for certain the creature in his head had pushed through the skin and suddenly appeared on his forehead. He touched his temple, but felt nothing.

"What is it?" asked Releana

"A …," began the captain, scrutinizing J'role's face. Then she smiled, forcing an ill notion from her thoughts. "Just a superstition …"

"A silent man brings silence for all," intoned Voponis. The other three sailors seemed to side squarely with him, and remained tense.

"We have customs about many things," said the captain.

She turned slightly to the other sailors. "We shouldn't take them all equally seriously."

Voponis looked as if he wanted to believe her but couldn't quite bring himself to do it.

The other sailors didn't seem to change their position, and, if anything, eyed the captain with suspicion.

Releana said brightly, "Then there is no problem, for he is not yet a man."

Silence reigned for a heartbeat, then the captain said, "Ah! There it is." She turned to the other sailors. "He is almost there, but is certainly not a silent man."

The sailors did not seem convinced. But Voponis said, "If you say so, Captain." He sounded relieved. J'role noticed the t'skrang had taken a liking to the strange entourage that wanted passage on the Breeton.

"And you would be?" the captain said, turning to Bevarden.

"He's Despair," Releana said without thought, then caught herself and winced. "Grim's father. He's not in very good shape." '

The captain put on a strained smile and said, "Well, you wish to go to Throal?"

"Yes," said Releana.

"Four dwarven gold. Pricy, but you must admit, you're a strange lot."

Releana looked to J'role, and then said, "We have no gold to offer. But we have something else. Something that might gain you more than four pieces of gold."

"And what would that be?"

Releana looked at the other sailors. "It's a bit of a secret…."

The captain eyed Releana carefully, then J'role and Bevarden in turn, as if weighing them in some arcane mercantile manner. "What you can say to me, you can say to them."

Releana paused, then opened her mouth to speak Just as she was about to begin, the captain said, "But if we're going to bargain, let's get some food. I'm famished. Please, whether you travel with us or not, be my guest for a meal." She took a long look at Bevarden. "He, in particular, looks as if he could do with one."

An intense rumble emanated from J’role’s stomach at the words, and though it had only been two weeks since he'd left his village, his mind strained trying to remember his last real meal.

As he walked up the wide loading plank to the ship, the image of the last fine meal he'd eaten suddenly hit him. It was the lamb Garlthik had bought him the day J'role had been initiated into the way of thief magic. For just a moment he thought wistfully of Garlthik, the man who had dragged his wrist into an open flame. Then the feeling left and J'role thought only of the good, hot meal he was about to eat.

It was wonderful, though strange. Long, succulent fish, dressed with colorful vegetables the like of which J’role had never seen, sat on silver plates on a long wooden table intricately carved with pictures of mountains and dwarfs at work in forges. Wine poured freely from pitchers made of cut glass almost as beautiful as the diamond Garlthik had traded to the tavernkeep. They sat in a wide, low-roofed room with the captain at the head of the table. Another sailor, who the captain introduced as First Mate Nikronallia, sat to her right. Voponis serve them food, more of which seamed to appear each time they had cleaned their plates.

J'role started his meal by wolfing it down, but soon the taste so caught his senses that he let the food rest for a moment or so on his tongue, so he might enjoy it more. Releana rushed food into her mouth as well, and no one spoke a single word for some time.

Nikronallia glowered at them, seeming impatient at their silent, ravenous behavior. But the captain smiled to see them sate their hunger.

After several minutes J'role realized that his father was not eating, only swallowing down one glass of wine after another, knocking it back in terrible gulps. J'role leaned over and cut up a slice of red fish on his father's plate, trying to encourage him to take some true sustenance. Seeing what J'role was doing, Bevarden knocked his son out of the way, nearly throwing J'role out of his seat and spilling his plate to the floor.

Voponis quickly appeared to clean up the mess and give J'role's father a new plate of food, which the man steadfastly ignored. J'role wanted to apologize to the captain and the others, though he did not exactly know for what. Perhaps, he realized, it was simply to put the matter behind him; a little ritual over an incident that truly needed no comment.

Unable to say anything, he simply looked down at his food and continued to eat. After a moment he glanced up and found Releana staring at him. He could not guess what she was thinking.

"She thinks you're a freak," said the creature in his head. "And she feels even more sorry for you now that your father has shamed you. Don't think she feels anything for you other than the lowest form of pity."

"I don't think she feels anything for me …," J'role began to think angrily, to defend himself. But he let the thought trail off. What did it matter? The creature was right. He wanted to look at Releana again, but he blocked the impulse. Instead he remembered her, thinking that her face was pretty and her eyes large. And he liked the way she smiled.

The creature laughed at him, dismissing his pleasure.

After the eating had gone on for some time, Captain Patrochian said, "Well, I think we can let the stuffing slow down to steady intake now. What say we discuss this proposition of yours?”

Releana and J'role looked up loath to slow their eating. But Releana set her fork to the side, and J'role followed suit. Bevarden continued to drink.

"We are on a quest," said Releana

Nikronallia snorted, but the captain waved her hand at him, and leaned in toward Releana. "What do you seek?" she asked.

"A city. Lost during the Scourge."

The captain crinkled her eyebrows in concentration, which had the disturbing effect of making her reptilian face look positively terrifying. "The city's name?"

"We do not know," answered Releana.

Nikronallia snorted again. J'role wished he could say the name, Parlainth, which the elf queen had spoken to him. But he could not, nor could he write it.

"We believe that all memories of the city were removed from the world shortly before the Scourge. Rather than build the kind of defenses the Therans taught us to use, this city hid itself. . somewhere else. In another plane, I suppose."

"If I might be so bold," said Nikronallia, leaning in, a condescending smile lifting the corners of his mouth, "How do you know about this city if it is not in this world and everyone has forgotten about it."

"There is a ring that makes the wearer seek out the city."

'Stop- annoying our guests, Nikronallia," said Captain

Patrochian. "Your attitude bothers me as much as it does them." She turned toward Releana. “This ring? You have it? Is this what you wish to trade?"

“No," she said. "We lost it in Blood Wood. To the elf queen."

"The elves," Bevarden said suddenly, "have thorns that grow from within their bodies!"

He spoke to the captain, his tone full of pain. "The flesh is torn, and the blood runs in smooth droplets down their flesh. They have ruined themselves, you see. They were a dream once." He paused, and everyone stared silently in amazement. "I had dreams once.

So did my son." He closed his eyes, and J'role realized his father was going to cry. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Voponis," the captain said quietly. Voponis nodded, stepped up next to Bevarden, then took the man's shoulder and helped him stand.

"I'm sorry," Bevarden said again.

"You need rest, my friend," said the captain, and Voponis led him out of the room. J'role stood to go with him, but the captain motioned for him to sit. "He will be given a cot to sleep on. He. . looks as if he could use a rest." The captain eyed J'role. "It looks as if you could use some, too."

J 'role nodded, and sat back down. Unexpectedly he found himself relieved that his father was gone. One less disaster waiting to happen. He relaxed into his chair and listened to the rest of the conversation.

"I take it you no longer need the ring?" asked the captain.

“That's what we think," said Releana. “We need to get to Throal and do some research.

We know where the city should be. Grim has been there. With the aid of the ring he saw it. We just have to find out how to bring it back."

"And where is my pay?”

"We think that the people of the city hid themselves before the Scourge to protect themselves from the Horrors. By hiding all memories of themselves, they were safe, but they might well need someone to bring them back. If we rescue them, there will most likely be a reward. We will give you a share of that."

The captain thought it over, then asked, "Why me? Why this ship?"

"This ship is safer than other places," said Releana, "safer even than other ships on the Serpent. We saw you turn away a magician with one eye on his hand earlier, and that man and his companions are searching for us and the ring. And I trust you."

J'role hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. Until they got off the boat, Mordom would not be able to find them. J'role then saw Nikronallia staring at him. As soon as their eyes met, the sailor turned his gaze away. J'role turned away too, frightened, for he knew something significant had just occurred, but he did not know what.

“Very well," said the captain. "An enemy of my enemy … And so on. Passage is granted.

We will not be going all the way to Throal, however. We are meeting another ship, the Chakara, in five days' time. They will have come from Throal, and will be sailing back there after a trade meeting between us and the dwarven envoys the Chakara is transporting. I will guarantee passage on the Chakara for you, and cover the cost to the Chakara's captain. This is my investment in your quest."

“Thank you, Captain Patrochian," Releana said with visible relief.

The captain raised her glass and said, "May we all find what we seek most." The others at the table followed suit, even Nikronallia, who now kept his gaze set on the table.

A dizziness came over J'role, and he realized it was a good thing the captain had granted them their passage, for he felt as though he couldn't move another three feet after stuffing himself with food. He stood, then cocked his head to one side and closed his eyes.

"Ah, yes," said the captain, and J'role opened his eyes. "Your appetites may have stuffed you all a bit too full." Voponis returned then, and the Captain said, "All is set. Please take them to a cabin. And get Ofreaus to visit them and tend their wounds. Though they were too polite to ask, they're all in need of some help."

Voponis nodded, and everyone got up to follow him. As the t'skrang closed the door to the captain's luxurious quarters behind them, he smiled and said, "I've already set up your quarters. I know the captain. She's a fine lady, generous, with a sense of business. I knew you'd be coming aboard even as I listened to you begin your tale." Neither of them answered, for drowsiness had overcome their senses. Voponis said, "Here, I'll get you to your rooms quick."

He led them through the maze of rooms and corridors that made up the ship. Every once in a while they caught glimpses out the windows of the rushing blue river and the green trees along the banks. The sun was bright in the late Noon, and the world sparkled with light reflecting off water and leaves. The world, J'role realized, was stuffed with beauty.

But it was easier to comprehend when viewed from a window frame, rather than when caught up in the middle of it, as in Blood Wood.

They passed other t'skrang, who casually glanced at them. The sailors walked with a swagger down the corridors, or sometimes leaped out the windows, grabbing ropes and swinging out of sight. Luckily, the ship had stairs for the non-sailors aboard, and the group ascended several decks. The sunlight became sparse as they moved away from the edge of the ship, then vanished, replaced by magical, burning stones set into sconces in the wall. The corridors began to remind J'role of the kaer; not as it had been when he was young, but in recent years: his father's refuge lit by torchlight.

Voponis opened a door and J'role saw his father, deep in a drunken sleep. He felt ill for a moment, but forced himself to relax, and the sensation passed.

"Here you are," said Voponis, indicating two empty bunks. Gracefully he extended a hand to Releana, and helped her up to the upper bunk. J'role collapsed into the one underneath. "If you need anything, just come and get us." He then left, closing the door behind him. The light in the room dimmed and J'role closed his eyes. The world rocked under him as he began to drift off, and he thought once more of the priestess who had held him in her arms when he was a boy. Then his thoughts turned to his mother.

"Don it tell anyone," he suddenly remembered her saying. Why had she said that? Not, Don't talk to anyone, which was a sound warning, but don't tell anyone. What wasn't he supposed to tell?

“Do you really want to know?" the creature asked.

The creature's glee disturbed J’role, and he thought, “No." Better not to know. To leave it all be.

The darkness and the rocking slowly swallowed him, and as J'role fell asleep he felt phantasmal fingers upon his chest, memories of the past come alive. Then came a dream.

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