Auum inclined his head to Stein, who shrugged.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Auum. ‘Esteren, Drech, Takaar. We have all lost valued friends and comrades. To lose a ship and so many of those on board is a bitter pill, but we have kept an invasion force from our shores.’
‘We all knew what we were getting into,’ said Esteren. ‘But thank you nonetheless.’
‘A full list of names of the fallen will remain in the captain’s cabin,’ said Ulysan.
‘Why did so many Il-Aryn die but so few TaiGethen from the same vessel?’ asked Takaar, his face grey with exhaustion and knowledge of the losses he had suffered.
‘And no Senserii,’ said Auum sharply. ‘You know the answer. Please do not try to cause a conflict where none exists.’
Takaar’s face closed still further.
‘Could have saved more. Should have saved more,’ he muttered.
‘Perhaps it’s time you got some rest,’ said Auum.
‘Don’t patronise me,’ snapped Takaar. ‘You want me out of the way so you can plot, is that it?’
Auum felt the aches of the day’s exertions more keenly all of a sudden. He kneaded the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger and tried to remain calm.
‘Gently,’ whispered Ulysan.
Auum nodded. ‘It’s just that you look exhausted, as I feel. After what you did today you have every reason to be asleep already. There’s nothing to plot, Takaar. We just need to go over our next moves. We don’t need to be sidetracked by pointless debate about who saved whom and who didn’t and why. It’s done. Accept that everyone did everything they could.’
Stein cleared his throat noisily.
‘It isn’t pointless to the dead.’
‘It is especially pointless to them,’ said Esteren. ‘Please, Takaar, let this rest.’
Takaar waved his hands in a shooing gesture. ‘Yes, yes, brush it under the rug. Never mind the dead. Never mind if they could have been saved. Never mind who chose to live, letting others die.’
Auum sprang across the rug and pulled Takaar’s face to his, hands on the mad elf’s head.
‘Then let’s lay it out for you so you can grasp it, shall we? Because everyone but you has worked it out.’ Auum’s eyes bored into Takaar’s, who held his gaze unflinching. ‘Your ship was sunk because the barrier came down. The shamen worked out the weak point was the mana threading and concentrated all their efforts there. When Stein told you this, you chose to attack him rather than warn Drech to fortify the threading. The shamen targeted your Il-Aryn the moment the barrier was down because they were easy targets, on their knees, disoriented and tired.
‘My people got as many as they could over the side, but it was too late for the rest. And your twelve Senserii rescued one elf between them: you. Perhaps you’d have done better casting your clever new trick then, rather than saving your own skin.’
Auum moved back to his place in complete silence, righting a bowl he’d knocked onto its side on his way to Takaar. He sat and drank the remainder of his infusion.
Ulysan whispered in his ear, ‘Gentle, just as I advised. Well done.’
Auum suppressed a smile and looked at Takaar, who appeared stunned. He was muttering under his breath, deep in conversation with his tormentor.
‘We do have some good news as regards our landing capacity,’ said Esteren carefully.
Auum nodded his gratitude. ‘The boats we captured were worth the effort, I take it?’
Takaar lurched to his feet.
‘I think perhaps I will take my leave,’ he said. ‘I find my exertions have sapped my strength more than I thought. A shame the fact that I have saved the expedition a full day has gone unmarked, but these are the wounds true genius must often bear.’
Takaar shambled out. Esteren followed him, bade him restful sleep and shut the door behind him.
‘Anyone who laughs is going over the side,’ he said.
‘What was the point of that, Auum?’ demanded Drech. ‘He’s fragile enough as it is.’
‘Not fragile enough that he won’t bolster his own sense of injustice,’ said Auum. ‘No one calls the actions of the TaiGethen into question.’
‘It’s a dangerous time for him,’ said Drech.
‘When isn’t it? Remember what I said: he’s your problem, so keep him in check. Look at the power he wields. What happens if he decides to turn it on us? Stein was lucky he was physically attacked rather than turned into so much dust.’ Auum shook his head and turned back to Esteren. ‘When do we make landfall?’
‘We’ve got to sail halfway round Balaia when we sight land,’ said Esteren. ‘So get comfortable. We’ll be there in six days, at a guess.’
Auum blew out his cheeks. ‘Still, no time like the present. So, skipper, talk to me about getting us on dry land. Drech, I advise you to go and look after your patient. Stein’ll fill you in on our plotting.’
The wind changed direction steadily, and by the time Balaia filled the horizon cold air was funnelling across the deck, strengthening by the hour. Auum pulled his cloak tight around him and stared into the gathering twilight, wondering when they’d set foot on foreign soil.
‘Warm enough?’ asked Ulysan, coming to his shoulder.
‘Barely,’ said Auum.
‘Nice cloak,’ said Ulysan.
Auum knew where this was going and he smiled. ‘Thank you.’
‘Looks just like the one you said you wouldn’t need when I was adding it to your kit.’
‘There is a remarkable similarity.’
‘In fact I recall you being really quite dismissive and sarcastic about it.’
‘Surely you have somewhere else you need to be?’
‘No, no, nothing pressing. Now you said, ‘‘The day I wear that cloak other than for ceremonial reasons is the day Gyal’s tears cease and the rainforest dies.’’ I wondered if you wanted to amend that statement at all?’
‘I hadn’t expected chill of this intensity,’ said Auum.
‘It’s seven days north and it’s full of humans, what did you expect?’
‘Not this,’ said Auum.
He felt low. The thrill of the fight had long since faded leaving an endless stream of nagging anxieties behind. If he was leading them to their deaths, how would he square that with Shorth? Could they really hope to free the trapped Il-Aryn with the armies of men and Wesmen clashing? And why was he really here at all? The conflict within him concerning elven magic and its place in Calaius raged on. He wished the magic gone but had to concede it occasionally had its uses. It was the question of where it would lead that worried him most.
Ulysan was staring at the dark mass of Balaia, his arms folded.
‘So this is what lies beyond the mists, eh? So much for the old song. It’s not up to much, is it?’
‘It just feels so desolate and we’ve not even landed yet. Look at it. Nothing speaks to you of life, not as we see in the rainforest. Beeth be blessed, but I can barely even see any trees. Grass, mud and mountains. It’s horrible.’
‘Well, let’s make sure we’re not there long,’ said Ulysan. ‘Do you want to hear what Esteren said?’
‘So there was a reason for you to bother me with your unique sense of humour after all. Go on.’
‘He’s going to head east along the coast and go round that way. It’s a little longer but probably calmer, and he’s worried about another attack given what you said about Ystormun having a presence on their flagship. Less chance of that if we aren’t skirting Wesman lands. You are sure it was him?’
Auum nodded and shuddered. Despite having had the satisfaction of being able to gut the host body, the very notion that bastard could project himself into another was one Auum still had difficulty accepting.
‘Magic. It invades every part of us. What if he can project himself into you or me?’
‘You’d best ask Stein about that, but I’m guessing it’s not possible. He has some special link with those shamen, according to Stein.’