It was the sound of their hilarity that brought Notwen to his senses. He lifted his head, saw Ulin first, and grinned from ear to ear. “IamsopleasedtoseeyouUlinhowdidyouescapefromtheseasligsandwhatarethosecreaturesonmyboat?”
“One word at a time, Notwen,” Ulin reminded him.
The gnome didn’t answer. He bounced to his feet, his fear forgotten, and crowded in among the tall sea elves jabbering and laughing by his mast. “What’s so funny?” he demanded. “Hey! Leave that rope alone!”
The elves were laughing too hard to respond. The sirine pointed to the mess of rigging and sail and cobbled-together mast. “They think your sail is a bit overdone.” She shook her green hair. “It is a nice try, but it won’t work.”
He crossed his arms and scowled at the elves. “Why not?”
“I don’t know,” she replied with a giggle. “I don’t sail boats. That’s just what they are saying.”
Ulin looked up at Notwen’s attempts and frowned. “Is something wrong with your engine?”
The gnome gave up trying to reason with the elves and came to join the young mage. “It’s broken,” he said glumly. “The cogs are cracked, the shaft is bent, and there’s a hole in the boiler. I can’t fix it without my forge and tools at home.”
Two of the sea elves, the same two who had met them in the cavern, detached themselves from the noisy group and walked over to Ulin and Kethril. The elves looked so much alike that Ulin wondered if they were brothers. In the bright light of day, their skin and hair gleamed with the brilliance of sunlight on water, and their eyes shone a dazzling blue.
“The sirine tells us you are in a hurry to return to the place you call Flotsam,” one said.
Ulin nodded. Kethril shrugged.
“You will not get there with this sail,” the second commented.
Ulin elbowed Notwen before the gnome could sputter a retort.
“If you are willing to trade, we could provide you with dolphins to pull you there,” said the first elf.
“Trade what?” asked Ulin.
“Metal. Weapons. Tools.” The elf held up Notwen’s hammer and winked at the small gnome. “Master Tinker, your work is commendable, but ill-informed. Perhaps we could discuss sails and boats in the time it takes to get you back.”
The offer of knowledge evaporated all of Notwen’s resentment and won his immediate approval. “I have lots of tools at the laboratory,” he whispered to Ulin. “Let them have what they want.”
Ulin hesitated before he spoke. There was one more thing he wanted to ask the sea elves, but the thought was not a firm conviction in his mind. He’d had too many failures, too few successes. The small light in the cave had been the first spell to work for him for months, yet somehow he doubted it was the beginning of the return of his magic. The power was gone from his grasp, gone from his imagination. The spell in the cave had worked, but it had not given him the thrill of success that wielding magic once had. Maybe, he thought, his time with magic was over. He tilted his head slightly and rubbed the stubble on his chin. Perhaps if the elves were willing to trade for one or two magical artifacts with him, he could test the efficacy of his power and analyze the results without the emotions of previous failures. It was worth a try. Sea elves loved to delve through sunken ships and old ruins, and they were known for collecting artifacts, trinkets, and treasures from the sea. If nothing else, he could give the artifacts to Palin.
When he mentioned his desire to trade for a few magic artifacts, the two elves exchanged looks and talked together for several minutes.
“It has become dangerous to wield the power of the Istar relics,” one elf told Ulin. “The red dragon has hunted our people for years to force us to relinquish our collections. If she learns you have even one magic object, she will send her minions after you.”
Ulin met his direct gaze eye for eye. “I know. I am-was-a dragonmage. In the past year my ability to wield magic has disappeared for reasons I do not understand. My father is seeking to learn the truth and to test every possible door still open to us, but we have few left.”
The second elf nodded. “We have heard of the failure of magic. There may be one or two small items we could allow you to have.” He suddenly brightened and added, “We found a fine Khurish sword among the spoils of the sea-sligs. Was that yours?” At Ulin’s nod, the elf grinned. “We will keep that and see what my chieftain might be willing to part with. Meanwhile, for the use of the dolphins …”
He waved a slim hand at Notwen’s scattered tools.
While the sirine bandaged Kethril’s foot, Ulin, Notwen and the elves finalized their trade of tools for the use of a pod of dolphins willing to pull the Second Thoughts back to Flotsam. When they were finished, the sea elves happily collected their tools and called in the dolphins. They rigged half a dozen ropes with loops at the end and tied them to the bow of the boat. Chittering and squealing, the dolphins took the loops over their noses, thrust deep with their powerful tails, and turned the boat toward Flotsam. The Second Thoughts gained momentum.
All but two of the sea elves waved good-bye and dived into the sea. In a flash of shining water they were gone into the blue deep. The sirine called a farewell to the elves and made herself comfortable on the bow to watch the dolphins. Ulin watched her, wondering if she planned to go all the way to Flotsam with them. Did she intend to meet her half-sister, Lucy?
Ulin went into the cabin, hung up their wet clothes salvaged from the cavern, and rummaged through his gear until he found two reasonably clean tunics and two pairs of loose fitting pants that might fit Lucy’s father, then he took them to the gambler. Kethril was sitting on the deck, leaning back against the cabin wall. His skin was tanned a golden brown from days in the sun, and his muscles were well developed. Ulin wondered what sort of work the man did when he was not stealing from towns or playing at a gaming table.
Kethril’s eyes were closed, but he opened one as Ulin tossed a tunic and a pair of pants into his lap. He eyed the younger man for a moment, then closed his eye. “If I look like you, we’d both better get dressed so we don’t scare Lucy.”
Ulin glanced down at his arms and chest and realized what Kethril meant. Dark bruises, lacerations, and ugly scrapes covered his wrists, arms, chest, and legs. The ghagglers had not been gentle in the transportation or imprisonment of their prisoners. He pulled the clothes on and sat down on the deck beside Kethril. The older man did not move.
Ulin did not mince words or waste time with pleasantries. “What made you change your mind about going to Flotsam?” he wanted to know. “You could have convinced the sirine to help you.”
Kethril grunted. His face had relaxed and his breathing was beginning to slow. “Lucy,” he mumbled. “She shouldn’t have come.”
The sun seeped into Ulin’s sore muscles like a warm draught. A spreading lassitude wrapped itself gently around him. He thought he should be angry at Kethril’s answer, but he could not summon the energy. His own eyelids were becoming very heavy. “She came for you, you know,” he said, letting his body slump down against the wall. It had been so long since he had been able to sleep. Somewhere, faintly, he could hear Notwen deep in conversation with the sea elf, and the sirine was singing. He could hear her voice like a soothing continuous sound, as soft as rainfall, as rhythmic as the waves. His eyelids drifted closed, and he heard nothing more.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Although the holiday was still twelve days away, the preparations for Flotsam’s Visiting Day were well underway. For weeks, the town’s kender population had been busy finishing the spring ale, pickling eggs for the traditional snack, and baking goodies to share with friends. Pease explained to Lucy that the kender tradition of “Hiyahowareya” in Flotsam had evolved from the old Visiting Day festival once celebrated in Kendermore before the coming of Malystryx. Everyone cleaned their houses on Visiting Day, then instead of visiting friends and neighbors-and often missing them because they were visiting, too-everyone met in the town commonland for a big picnic. That way, no one was missed. Gifts of food and drink were exchanged, borrowed items were returned, and everyone had a good time.