In the hands of the righteous, the sky stone will capture the power of the mighty one.
"I'll take her power and use it as my own. I'll bring true power back to the Masterhood," Master Edling said.
"We've made the best repairs possible with the materials available to us, sir," Bryn said. "There's not much more we can do. We've stopped all the leaks, and we have additional pitch ready should we need to patch any new leaks."
"Your crew has done well," Nora said with a firm nod.
"Thank you, Mother," Kenward said. "A better crew I could not ask for."
"On that we agree," she said.
Bryn flushed, embarrassed by the compliment. Catrin stood at the gunwales, her strength returning. Given her leisure while she recovered, she spent most of her time watching Kyrien and his kin. Though Kyrien kept constant vigil, other dragons occasionally joined him, and their synchronized acrobatics drew more than just Catrin's eyes.
"Such fearsome beauty," Nora said as she joined Catrin.
"I can't make myself look away."
"You've an attachment with Kyrien; that much is clear. He seems a noble and loyal beast to protect us in such a way. I would never have guessed such a thing would happen."
"They are more intelligent than I would have thought possible," Catrin said. "Kyrien and another spoke in my mind; they spoke not in words, but in images and emotion. They asked me to save Kyrien from Belegra, and I suppose they are repaying the debt."
"Whatever the reason," Brother Vaughn said, "they have saved us all. I've always loved flying creatures, but these dragons are beyond my wildest expectations. None are as large as the skeleton found in Faulk, but they are undeniably beautiful. Their ability to communicate makes them even more remarkable."
For a while they simply watched as Kyrien and two other dragons danced in the skies. Much of the crew stopped to watch as others joined the dance. Like a flock of birds, the dragons moved in unison, as if of a single mind, changing directions so dramatically that it was a wonder none collided.
"We're ready to raise our anchors and set sail," Kenward said. "We've only to fill the hold with fish before we are ready to leave this place. I assume we are to travel back to the Godfist?"
"Yes," Catrin said. "I'm ready to go home."
"I suppose the safest route will be to go back the way we came. There may be a shorter route to the Godfist, but we've no way of knowing."
Belegra had a map.
Turning at the sound of Prios's voice in her mind, Catrin looked for him. It took a moment before she found him reclining in the shadows. Remembering Belegra's books, Catrin turned back to Kenward. "I think we have a map."
"What?" he asked, clearly excited. Few things seemed to excite sailors more than maps and charts.
"Before we left the mountain hall," Catrin said, "we took some books from Belegra's quarters. I had completely forgotten, but I think we should look there first." After retrieving her pack, she rummaged through and found the leather-bound tomes. Holding the first in her hand, she was loath to open it, but she remembered Prios's words: The books are not evil. Running her fingers over the unadorned leather binding, she made herself open it.
The pages were of finer quality than any Catrin had ever seen before, and the text had been meticulously scribed. Much of what she saw seemed to be equations and formulas, and after leafing through the pages, she set it aside. When she opened the second volume, she immediately found what she was looking for. Kenward, Nora, and the others stood by, waiting with undisguised anticipation. Folded in half was a finely woven canvas with a colorful map painted on it. The crease down the center had damaged parts of the map, but it was otherwise whole. Kenward drew a sharp intake of breath when she handed it to him.
"By the gods!" he said. "It's all here. The Firstland, the Greatland, the Godfist-all of it. And look here, there are at least three chains of islands I've never seen or heard of. What a treasure!"
"Taking this route," Nora said, "we can make it back in half the time."
Catrin looked at the map, trying to figure out why the thought of taking a different route made her stomach hurt. The map gave no indications of any danger save a large expanse of open water, but something told her emphatically not to go that way, and she was torn. "Can you think of any dangers that we would face taking the direct route?"
"There are always dangers," Nora said, and she pointed to a place on the map. "Most of these waters are unfamiliar to me, but there are some parts I have traveled. The biggest danger I think we would face are storms, and we could run into those anywhere."
Still, Catrin could not shake the feeling, and she decided to give her instincts credence. "Something is telling me not to go that way. I cannot explain it, and can find no reason to support it, yet I feel compelled to heed it."
"Sometimes we must listen to our instincts," Kenward said, "especially when they contradict the most likely course. Given your magic, I would be inclined to follow your gut. In my younger days, I would have taken the shortest course no matter what you said, but now I have seen too much, and I find myself given to caution."
"It's certainly taken long enough to beat some caution into you, fool boy," Nora said, but her eyes shone with pride.
"Are you certain about this?" Chase asked as he forced himself into the cramped cabin, trying to get a better look at the map. "I don't want to spend another year at sea if we don't have to."
"I can't tell you why, Chase, but I feel very strongly about this. I've no desire to prolong the journey home, but the thought of going back any way but the way we came makes me ill."
"It's decided, then," Kenward said with a sigh. "I'll have to save exploring those waters for another journey."
Under Kyrien's watchful eye, they fished until the Slippery Eel sat heavy in the water. As Kenward set a course for the Keys of Terhilian, Catrin stood at the stern watching Kyrien. As the Firstland faded in the distance, two other dragons joined Kyrien. They escorted the ship to deep water, but as the sun began to sink below the horizon, the other two dragons refused to go any farther. Circling, they called out to Kyrien, and he seemed torn. After several long and tense moments, the other dragons turned on their wingtips and soared back to the Firstland. Catrin watched, also torn. Part of her wanted Kyrien to come with her, to be a part of her life, but she wondered what kind of life he could have without other dragons. In the end, she knew she needed to do what was best for Kyrien. Opening herself to a trickle of power, she did her best to communicate with him using only her mind: Go. Be free. Live well!
His only response was a mournful call; then, after diving down and soaring low over the deck, he flew after his brethren, back to his home. Catrin watched with tears in her eyes, hoping he would live a happy life. Though she had known him only a short time, she left the Firstland with what felt like a gaping hole in her heart. Prios joined her and seemed to share her sadness.
I will miss him too. I was responsible for delivering him to Belegra, which is something I may never be able to forgive myself for, yet somehow he found it in his heart to do just that. I always thought he hated me. He could have let Chase kill me, or he could have killed me himself, but he did not. I cannot say I understand it, but I will forever be in his debt.
"Perhaps, someday, you will get a chance to repay that debt," Catrin said.
I don't see how I ever could, but I suppose it's possible. No one can say what the future will hold.
In the following weeks, Catrin spent much of her time with Brother Vaughn. Together they learned everything they could from Belegra's books. One volume was about the physical laws of her world; it was this tome that was filled with equations-most of which only made Catrin's head hurt, and she doubted she would ever find any of it useful. Brother Vaughn had little more success, and they set that book aside.