War Of The Wildlands(60)

Gulls screeched noisily overhead as Yori’s caravan came to a halt near one of the ships. Hopping down from his seat, Yori walked around to the back of his wagon to help unload. The bearded man waved a hand, telling him not to bother.

“You don’t have to unload,” he said. “They pay these men to do the work from here. They don’t want us mucking up their precious boats.”

With a nod, Yori said, “Thanks for bringing me along.” He looked up and down the long row of ships, wondering which one to try first. The ship he was closest to seemed as good as any, so he followed the men who were unloading the chests full of gems as they made their way up the ramp to the deck.

The ship’s captain was closely supervising the cargo being brought on board. When Yori appeared on his deck, he became visibly angry. His face reddened, and the veins in his forehead bulged as he shouted, “You don’t belong here! Go back where you came from!”

“I’m sorry for the intrusion, sir,” Yori began. He did not have a chance to finish his thought before he was interrupted.

“I said get off my ship!” The captain approached Yori and towered over him. The glare in his gray eyes nearly burned a hole through Yori’s head. “I’ve got to get these gems to Master Yarion, and I don’t have time for sightseers.”

An idea burst into Yori’s mind, and he quickly removed his cap to reveal his ears. Standing as straight as he could and sticking his nose in the air, he said, “Master Yarion is my father. That bastard owes me an explanation!”

His pretense at arrogance must have been convincing enough for the captain. “I’ll be damned,” he said in disbelief. “In a million years I’d never guess one of those haughty elves would make it with a human woman.”

“Obviously he did,” Yori replied, still feigning arrogance. “My mother has finally told me the truth, and I will have his explanation.”

The captain laughed and said, “Fine by me. I’d love to give that old sorcerer a shock. It’s one gold coin for your fare.”

“Gold?” Yori said stunned. “I’ll give you a silver, and I won’t let my father blow your ship to bits as you sail away.”

The captain eyed Yori suspiciously but bought the act. “Fine,” he said. “Just stay out of the way.”

Yori handed him a silver coin and proceeded onto the deck of the ship. He smiled to himself, pleased with his own performance. He doubted it would be so easy to convince the Enlightened Elves that he was one of their own kind. They could probably smell the Wild Elf in his blood. At any rate, he was aboard the ship that would bear him to the isles.

The sun finally broke free of the clouds, and its rays sparkled on the water’s surface. After what felt like hours, the ship was finally loaded and ready to set sail. Yori stayed out of the way of the sailors as they went about their duties. Wondering what kingdoms might lie far off in the blue, he leaned on the starboard rail and stared off into the vast ocean.

As the ship began to move, the ocean breeze swept over him. His sandy hair danced on the wind, and he closed his eyes to stop them from watering. The wind was more intense than he imagined, and he found it difficult to take in a full breath. The ship began to sway, followed shortly by Yori’s stomach. Observing the magic of the sea would have to wait until he was acclimated to the motion of the ship. Despite his queasiness, his spirits remained high. Adventure awaited him just beyond the horizon.





Chapter 36




Snow fell in large, chunky flakes as Reylana led the Sycamore warriors to rejoin her brother’s army. The heavy snow was nearly blinding, and she was having a hard time recognizing her surroundings. Tracking the movements of his company was impossible with the fresh snowfall. It was still early in the afternoon, but the blizzard showed no signs of relenting. “Let’s make camp here for the night,” she declared. “We’ll have better luck finding them after this storm has ended.”

The elves climbed into the trees to wait out the storm. Nat took a seat on a wide branch next to Reylana. “We should have tried harder to convince Darin to come with us,” he said.

“He was too old for this journey,” she replied. “But we should have dragged his fool grandson with us whether he wished it or not.”

Nodding, Nat said, “That could have worked too.”

“We can only hope my clansmen have done better at convincing the other clans. Perhaps one of them has a rune carver. We still stand a better chance with greater numbers, even if most of our weapons are not etched with runes.”

“All of us here have runes, and we have a few to share with our kinsmen. We could use a mage or two on our side in place of a rune carver.”