Sea of Death

CHAPTER THREE

As Welby's Pride headed into port, Diran healed the wounded crew members while Solus used his telekinetic abilities to remove the gulls from the deck. The psiforged placed the birds into the water, where the dead would become food for other scavengers and the wounded would have a chance for survival, slim though it might be.

Once the shallop was settled into a berth and tied down, Asenka paid the captain the rest of his fee, and the companions disembarked. Ghaji found the docks of Kolbyr to be quite a change from those in Perhata. Instead of using wood for pillars and planking, the Kolbyrites had fashioned their docks entirely from gray stone. The surfaces were worn smooth by decades of exposure to the elements as well as by the thousands of feet that had trod upon the docks over the years. Patches of moss clung to the stone everywhere, making the docks look more green than gray, as if they had grown from the sea floor rather than having been constructed with hammer and chisel.

The stink of fish hung heavy on the air here-no doubt due to all the fishing boats berthed at the docks-and Ghaji was grateful that a strong breeze was blowing to cut the stench, though gale-force winds would've been even better. He hadn't said anything to the others, but the smell of fish reminded him far too much of the stink of Karrnathi undead, which in turn reminded him of the months he'd spent serving as a mercenary on the Talenta Plains during the Last War. When he thought of those days, he thought of Kirai, and since those thoughts were too painful to recall, he did his best to cast them out of his mind. Doing so would've been easier if the damned air didn't stink like a horde of Karrnathi zombies, though.

Asenka led the way. Not only was she more familiar with Kolbyr as a citizen of the Gulf of Ingjald, she was also the representative of Baron Mahir, which meant she carried all the bribe money. Diran and Ghaji followed closely behind Asenka, while the others brought up the rear. Ostensibly their mission was a secret one, but Kolbyr had many spies in Perhata, just as Perhata had its own spies here. Often, these spies were one and the same, men and women who worked "both sides of the gulf," as the saying went. Thus the chances were excellent that word of their mission had preceded them to Kolbyr, and Asenka was authorized to play the role of official ambassador from Perhata-and spread Mahir's money around as liberally as necessary-should the need arise.

"Do you sense it, Ghaji?" Diran asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ghaji glanced sideways at his friend. "I assume you're not talking about the fish smell."

"Hardly. I sense the same sort of evil I did aboard the fishing vessel when the gulls attacked. Only it's stronger here, more focused."

Ghaji had traveled with Diran ever since the two had met when the half-orc had been working as a brothel bouncer in Kartan. Though not a worshipper of the Silver Flame himself, Ghaji had joined Diran's crusade against evil, and he had fought alongside the priest against threats so dire that just to stand in their presence was to risk one's sanity. They owed each other their lives a dozen times over, and there was no person in the world that Ghaji trusted more. If Diran said he sensed evil, Ghaji believed him, without question.

"My teeth have been on edge since we first approached the dock," Ghaji admitted, "and the hair on the back of my neck is standing at attention. What do you think is causing it?"

"The same force that drove the gulls to attack us," the priest said. "But other than that, I cannot say."

"Do you think it also has something to do with the way everyone's been looking at us?" Ghaji nodded toward a berthed sail boat as they passed. There were three men aboard-two humans and a half-elf-and whatever they had been doing a moment ago, they now stood upon the deck of their vessel, glaring at the companions as they walked by, faces contorted into expressions of pure hatred so intense they were almost comical.

Almost.

"We do seem to be attracting a great deal of negative attention," Diran said. "Far more than mere travelers should get for simply walking along the dock. It's almost as if our arrival was expected, though obviously not welcomed."

The trio in the sailboat wasn't the only ones staring at them with hate-filled eyes. Sailors, fishermen, dockhands… all fixed the companions with baleful glares that seemed to carry an almost physical force. If eyes were swords, then those gazes could've pierced flesh.

Ghaji's fingers toyed with the haft of his axe, but though the half-orc made no move to draw his weapon, Diran-with the awareness that only long-time companions possess-said, "Easy, my friend. They appear content to stare. For now, at least."

Ghaji nodded, though his perpetual scowl deepened in displeasure.

Diran glanced back over his shoulder toward Solus. "Do you sense anything more than you did aboard the shallop?"

The psiforged's crystals flashed briefly, then went dim. "No more than you do. The atmosphere of anger is stronger here, but I cannot locate its center. It seems to come from both everywhere and nowhere at the same time."

Tresslar snorted. "That's helpful."

Ghaji glared at the elderly artificer. Ever since Solus had joined them, Tresslar had been envious of the psiforged's powers, and his envy had only grown after the loss of the dragonwand. With the wand in his possession, Tresslar had been the most powerful member of their group in many ways. Without it, though he still possessed his skills at artificing, that distinction fell to Solus-and Tresslar was far from happy about it.

Diran stepped forward to walk alongside Asenka. "Is Kolbyr always like this?"

"I've only been here a few times. Most of my encounters with Kolbyrites have been at sea."

Ghaji knew that by "encounters" Asenka was referring to the Sea Scorpions' periodic clashes with the Coldhearts.

Asenka went on. "You met Haaken and his crew. By and large, most Kolbyrites are like them: ill-tempered, belligerent, ready to fight at the least provocation. But this… this is different."

Ghaji stepped forward to flank Diran. "Do you think this has something to do with the curse on the house of Kolbyr?"

Diran thought for a moment before replying. "The tales we've heard make no mention of it affecting anyone but the firstborn heir of the house of Kolbyr, and even then, only the heir's appearance is supposed to be affected. But rumors and stories never tell the entire truth, do they? I suppose it's possible, though. We'll just have to see for ourselves, and in the meantime, remain vigilant."

"In other words, business as usual," Ghaji said.

Diran smiled. "Precisely."

Kolbyr's harbormaster demanded what seemed to Ghaji an exorbitant fee for allowing them passage into the city, especially since they didn't have a ship of their own to dock. But the man-sour-faced, with a scowl even more pronounced than Ghaji's-fairly trembled with suppressed rage while they talked, and Ghaji had the feeling that only the harbormaster's greed prevented him from summoning the city watch to haul them away. But though it took a good portion of their remaining funds, in the end Baron Mahir's money did the trick, and the companions were granted permission to enter Kolbyr.

Like the docks, the buildings were hewn from gray stone. The squat, blocky structures were plain and austere, their surfaces smooth and bereft of ornamental touches. The streets were stone as well, though cracked in numerous places and in dire need of repair. The oppressive pall that they'd sensed at the docks was stronger here, and it felt as if the companions shouldered an unseen and increasingly heavy burden as they walked.

"And I thought Perhata was unpleasant." Ghaji remembered Asenka was with them and quickly said, "Sorry."

The woman smiled. "Don't worry about it. My city may not be the jewel of the Principalities, but it has Kolbyr beat."

Ghaji couldn't disagree with that.

The people they passed looked little different than their counterparts in Perhata. Both men and women wore their hair in braids with intricate beadwork woven in-though theirs was less showy than elsewhere in the Principalities-and all were dressed warmly. The big difference was in attitude. Though the Perhatans were by and large rogues, thieves, and swindlers, the Kolbyrites appeared to be barely restrained killers. They glared, sneered, spat, and some even growled like beasts as the companions passed. More than a few hands twitched toward weapons, but none had been drawn-so far. Ghaji thought of the gulls that attacked Welby's Pride, and he wondered if the only reason the Kolbyrites hadn't given in to their antagonistic impulses was because they weren't simple-minded animals. He also wondered that, if the curse of Kolbyr was truly at work here, how long the citizenry would be able to resist the urge to attack.

Tresslar stepped forward until he trailed directly behind Diran. "I was thinking…" The artificer began.

Diran stopped and turned to face Tresslar. The other companions halted as well and turned to listen.

"Yes?"

"Now that we're here, I'd like to poke around a bit and see if I can detect any sign of my wand. I know it's no longer in Perhata or the surrounding environs. Perhaps the barghest brought it to Kolbyr for some reason."

"What of the curse?" Ghaji asked. "We might need your help to lift it."

"I'm an artificer, not an exorcist," Tresslar replied. "But to be honest, without my wand, I would be of little use to you. I've constructed a few other devices, it's true, but none that will prove effective against a curse. But if my wand is here and I can find it…" The artificer trailed off.

"As you wish," Diran said. "Let us meet at the docks around sunset."

Tresslar nodded, clearly relieved.

"I would like to accompany the artificer," Solus said. "Despite my efforts, I can fathom little of the nature of the dark power that grips this city. This leads me to believe that it is primarily magical in origin. I suspect I will be of far greater assistance in helping Tresslar in his attempts to locate his lost wand."

Tresslar scowled at Solus, and for a moment Ghaji thought the artificer was going to decline the psiforged's offer, but pragmatism won out over jealously, and Tresslar responded with a curt, "Thanks."

"I'm coming along as well," Hinto said. "My friend can't do without his eyes, can he?"

The psiforged looked down at the halfling pirate, and though his face didn't possess the ability to smile, Ghaji sensed the fondness Solus felt for his "eyes."

"Very true," Solus said.

Ghaji looked at Diran, an unspoken message passing between them. The loss of their two most powerful allies, if only temporarily, would seriously deplete their fighting strength. Given the reception they'd received so far in Kolbyr, Ghaji wasn't certain that splitting up was a good idea. But Diran gave a little shrug, as if to say there was no help for it, and Ghaji supposed his friend was right. Tresslar was obsessed with retrieving his wand, and he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else until the mystic artifact was once again in his possession. And with Solus's help, he just might be able to find it-assuming the wand was in Kolbyr at all.

Tresslar looked at Diran. "The docks at sunset," he said then turned to the psiforged and the halfling. "Let's go," he muttered, and the three headed off down the street. Ghaji kept an eye on them as they departed. The Kolbyrites glared at the trio as they passed, but otherwise did nothing. Then the three turned a corner and were lost to sight.

Ghaji turned to Diran. "Looks like it's just the four of us then."

"Actually…" Yvka said.

"Don't tell me you're going to desert us too!" Ghaji protested.

The elf-woman reached out to take Ghaji's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We need the Zephyr back. I need her back. I have no idea if she was brought to Kolbyr, but there are certain… acquaintances I can consult with here in the city that might be able to help."

"We can book passage on other vessels if we need to," Ghaji said. "Diran and I got along fine without the Zephyr before."

Yvka's delicate brow furrowed, and she released his hand. "Are you saying you got along fine without me?"

Ghaji realized he'd inadvertently stepped into a cockatrice's nest. "Of course not." He knew he should say more, but not only couldn't he think of anything else, he was afraid he'd just make things worse by continuing to talk. So he fell silent.

"Perhaps it would be best if Yvka made her inquiries while we go to the baron's palace," Diran said. "I can think of only one person who knew where the vessel was hidden, and if she has her…" The priest failed to finish his sentence.

But Ghaji understood what his friend meant. Makala had most likely stolen the Zephyr, not only because of the ship's speed, but because the obsidian sarcophagus that allowed vampires to endure sea travel had been aboard. After the final confrontation with Aldarik Cathmore at Mount Luster, Makala had changed. She'd been a vampire for months, ever since being bitten by the undead pirate Onkar at the fortress-city of Grimwall. But while she'd been infected with the taint of vampirism, she'd fought to keep from being consumed by the darkness that now dwelled within her. But she'd lost that struggle at Mount Luster and had become a true creature of evil. With the Zephyr, she could go anywhere she wished and spread her contagion throughout the Principalities. Diran had failed to prevent Makala's transformation into a vampire, and he'd failed to keep her from being claimed by evil. Now the priest was determined to slay Makala-even though she had once been the mortal woman he'd loved above all others. He would not fail her a third time, no matter what it took.

Ghaji gazed at his friend with understanding before turning to face Yvka. "Sunset at the docks?"

She smiled. "Sunset." She leaned forward to give Ghaji a quick but passionate kiss, then jogged off down the street in the opposite direction the others had taken, moving with the silent, liquid grace that only elves possessed. Soon, she too was lost to sight.

Ghaji sighed. "I've never really understood women, but of all the women I haven't understood, I understand that one the least."

Diran laughed and clapped the half-orc on the shoulder. "Let's continue on to the baron's palace, my friend. Helping me exorcise a curse will hopefully take your mind off Yvka for a time."

Ghaji nodded, but he wasn't thinking about Yvka, at least, not only about her. He was also thinking of another woman he'd known-or rather had thought he'd known.

The half-orc thrust thoughts of both women from his mind. "Well, if we're going to do it, then let's get moving," he growled. And without waiting for Diran and Asenka to resume walking, he stalked past them and continued down the street. He didn't look over his shoulder to see if they followed. He knew they would. Besides, he didn't want either of them to see how much the cold air was making his eyes water. And as he walked, the thought of Kirai.