"As emotionally satisfying as that might be, it hardly seems practical, does it?" Diran replied.
"So we wait down here for Haaken to come get us and try to take him by surprise? That doesn't seem like much of a plan, either."
"True," Diran admitted. "I found a crate of oil. I suppose we could use it to start a fire."
"And do what? Die of smoke inhalation? What if we survive the fire but the ship goes down? As cold as the Lhazaar is, we'd die."
Diran didn't disagree with him. "If Haaken simply wanted to kill us, he could have done so easily while we were unconscious. He's obviously got something else in mind for us, and I wouldn't be surprised if whatever it is lies at the end of our journey. Perhaps an opportunity for escape shall present itself once we arrive at our destination."
"What do we do in the meantime?" Ghaji asked. "Just sit here in the hold and twiddle our thumbs?"
"Well, I also found a crate of wine…"
Ghaji thought for a moment then shrugged. "Sounds like a plan."
Skarm stood at the end of the dock in goblin form, watching as the elemental sloop sped silently out to sea. The barghest possessed many strengths, but flying wasn't among them, and while he could swim quite fast in his natural form, there was no way he could ever hope to catch up to a vessel as swift as that one. The dragonwand had eluded him again.
In frustration, he gnashed teeth that looked more lupine than goblin. He'd followed the priest's companions as they made their way to the dock and had observed their meeting with the female vampire-from a safe distance, of course. Skarm had considered making an attempt to snatch the dragonwand then, while everyone was preoccupied, but in the end he'd decided against it. If the vampire was another of the priest's allies-though Skarm didn't see how such a thing was possible-then she might well try to stop him. Barghests were strong enough to hold their own against a vampire if need be, but the outcome of such a battle would be in doubt. In the end, Skarm had decided against taking such a risk and had continued to observe and trail behind the others as they continued on to the dock, boarded the elemental sloop, and set sail, leaving Skarm behind.
The barghest was beginning to worry. Nathifa was extremely patient as only the undead could be. After all, she'd been scheming to get her hands on the dragonwand-or rather, the dragonhead affixed to it-for decades, but now that she was so close to achieving her goal, she wouldn't tolerate many more delays. If he didn't get his hands on the dragonhead soon, it would go badly for him.
From what Skarm had overheard while following the priest's friends, it sounded as if they intended to return to Perhata after rescuing the priest and his half-orc servant. Provided they weren't all killed in the attempt, of course. If so, then he would have another opportunity to take the dragonhead when they once more made port. All he had to do was wait.
He shifted to wolf form. He would be able to hide more effectively in this body, and his animal senses would help alert him when the priest and his companions returned. He padded silently down the deserted dock, intending to find a hiding place in one of the alleys between the various warehouses, fish-sellers, and taverns located nearby, but as he passed one particular vessel-a small trading ship-he caught a whiff of blood mingled with the air's saltwater tang. Intrigued, he leapt aboard the vessel with lupine grace. Sniffing as he went, he traced the smell to the ship's hold. He shifted back to goblin form, opened the hatch, and climbed down the ladder.
Save for some crates and supplies, the hold was empty. Skarm shifted back to wolf form and sniffed the air. The smell of blood was stronger here, as was another smelclass="underline" the faint sour-musty stink of decay. Skarm recognized it as the scent of a vampire, and not just any vampire-the one who'd accompanied the priest's friends on their rescue mission. He sniffed once more and caught a human's scent… a male. Skarm's lupine mouth stretched into a goblinish smile. Evidently the vampire woman had fed here and then disposed of the body before leaving. Too bad. Even drained of blood, the corpse would've made a nice snack for Skarm. He consoled himself by licking up the few drops of blood the vampire had spilled-they were almost dry, but still tasty enough-and then he returned to goblin form and climbed back up onto the deck. He was grateful the Dark Six had led him to this vesseclass="underline" she would make a suitable vantage point to wait for the priest and his friends to make port again.
After a quick search to satisfy himself that there was no one else on board, he changed back into his wolf form and settled down on the deck, head on paws, eyes closed, alert for any sound or scent that would indicate his prey's return.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Asenka had never been aboard an elemental sloop before. She wondered if she could get Baron Mahir to purchase one for the Sea Scorpions. The wind spirit that powered the craft was bound to a metal containment ring at the aft of the sloop and manifested as a glowing blue mass of swirling energy inside the ring. Wind issued forth from the ring to fill the Zephyr's sails full to bursting. Yvka sat in a chair in front of the ring, one hand working the tiller while the other rested on the chair's arm, using a magical control built into the chair to command the elemental. In addition, the ship was constructed from soarwood-a substance so preternaturally smooth and light that it produced virtually no friction-and her runners slid over the surface of the sea as easily as if she were moving over solid ice. The craft was making phenomenal speed, so much so that Asenka, who'd spent the majority of her life at sea, needed to hold onto the ship's railing to steady herself.
"Where did you berth this craft?" Asenka called out over the roaring of the elemental's wind. "I would've known if such a vessel had been kept at the main docks."
The elfwoman turned toward Asenka. "I find it best to keep the Zephyr away from prying eyes-not to mention greedy hands. I have access to a number of… alternate ports scattered around the Principalities. Let's just leave it at that." Yvka's voice was strained, her face grim. She looked away from Asenka and concentrated anew on piloting the vessel.
Asenka scowled. She understood that the elfwoman was concerned for her missing companions-especially Ghaji-but Asenka didn't appreciate being dismissed so casually. As commander of the Sea Scorpions, she wasn't used to being kept in the dark. She'd been reluctant to join the crew of the Zephyr, but she knew the elemental sloop was their only chance of catching up to the Coldhearts. The rest of the Scorpions had set sail at the same time the Zephyr had pulled away from the dock, and though their vessel was a fine one, there was no way she could keep up with the elemental sloop. That was the reason Asenka had joined the others aboard and ordered her second in command to captain the Scorpions' ship. Since she was a guest, she didn't feel it was best for her to push Yvka for too much information. She could learn more about these "secret ports" later, after they'd rescued Diran and Ghaji.
Still, wherever the elfwoman had kept her ship hidden, she couldn't have been too difficult to locate. After all, Makala had found her. The evidence lay right there on the deck before her: a large obsidian sarcophagus with strange runes carved into the sides. This was the object Makala had said she needed to move onto the Zephyr before she could accompany them on their rescue mission. Even knowing that Makala wasn't human, Asenka still had a difficult time imagining the slim, petite woman moving something so massive onto the ship by herself, but the sarcophagus had already been on the ship when Yvka sailed her from her hiding place and picked up the rest of them at the dock, which meant Makala had been able to move the object, presumably by herself, in a short amount of time.
Asenka gazed up the obsidian sarcophagus and shuddered. The lid was closed and Makala rested inside; asleep or awake, Asenka didn't know. Makala had shut herself in before the Zephyr left Perhata, saying that she could only tolerate sea travel while sealed within the stone coffin. She'd also made it clear that due to the enchantment on the box, she couldn't open it from within. One of them would have to open it for her. Given the sort of creature Makala was, Asenka didn't think it would be a bad thing if they never let her out, but since Makala was a friend of the others-or at least had once been a companion of theirs-Asenka decided to keep this opinion to herself. Still, she was glad the woman was shut away; it made her feel safer.