"I have sent my fastest swimmers to seek information from my home city," Serille said. "It should not take more than a quarter tide to learn what we need to know." Then she pointed to the other members of her group and said, "My companions are searching among our holy lore, trying to learn what might be revealed by our written histories."
Vambran nodded. "So, what can we do to help?" he asked.
"Rest," Serille said. "When we learn something, the journey to your goal will be long and arduous." She went behind the altar and brought out a platter. Vambran saw that it held small mounds of a green substance that reminded him of algae from the ponds back home, as well as clams and even some fish, freshly filleted. The girl brought the platter to him and said, "We have prepared food for you. It is not much by your standards, we realize, but we tried to guess what you would like."
Arbeenok moved over beside Vambran, dipped his finger in one of the piles of green goop, and licked it. His eyes widened in surprise, and he scooped up a handful and popped it into his mouth. He made a satisfied sound as he chewed the strange food and motioned for Vambran to try it.
Vambran gingerly took a sample and tasted it, not sure what to expect, Arbeenok's reaction notwithstanding. But the flavor was delicious. It reminded the lieutenant of a blend of a hot buttered bun and a lemon, and he eagerly took another bite. Serille smiled and set the platter down between the two of them, then went off to help her kin search among the ancient writings carved into the walls of the shrine. Vambran and Arbeenok continued to consume the tasty meal. The fish was even better than the green concoction, and before long, the platter was empty and the two companions sat back, full.
"I feel as though I am on the verge of a vision," Arbeenok said, standing. "I will pray and see if I can learn something useful for us." He went off to find a quiet spot, out of the way, leaving Vambran to sit and wait.
For a long time, Vambran simply contemplated the events that had unfolded in the previous few hours. It was hard to imagine that only one day before, he had been the unwilling guest of the Emerald Enclave, housed in a cave on a rock outcropping. So much had happened in that span. He considered the people he had met, from Shinthala the druid who had taken a liking to him, to Edilus, who had not. He thought about the loss of his troops, and Uncle Kovrim, and he spent a private moment grieving again, though his sorrow was not mixed with guilt any longer. After his prayers earlier that morning, Vambran understood again the vagaries of life and his role in the lives of other people. Instead of being angry with himself for not having done more to save the Crescents, he accepted that events had been beyond his control and that those who were responsible deserved his wrath.
Vambran was startled out of his thoughts by Serille's appearance again. "Would you like to take a little journey with me?" she asked somewhat shyly. "To a secret spot I like?" she added, gesturing toward the water. She was holding a necklace of brightly colored coral and shells, all reds and purples and blues.
"Sure," the lieutenant said, certain that he still had several hours to use his water-breathing magic. "I can travel with you for a little while," he said. Then he frowned. "Though I can't swim nearly as well as you, and without Arbeenok to carry me, I may just sink."
"This will help," Serille said, holding up the necklace. "It has some powerful magic that's perfect for you." She handed the jewelry to Vambran and said, "You won't need those," brushing her hand against his still-wet clothes. "In fact, the magic of the necklace is much better if you take them off."
Vambran looked at the sea elf askance, trying to determine her motives, but the look she gave him was so innocent that he couldn't be sure what she thought. Shrugging, he sat down and slipped his waterlogged boots off, then quickly got out of his breastplate and the rest of his wet clothes. He laid them on a rock shelf to dry, though he wondered why he bothered. Then, when he was as naked as Serille, he looked at her expectantly.
She came to him and motioned for him to bow his head, and she slipped the jewelry around his neck. Immediately, Vambran could feel a change come over him. He gasped as he felt his hands and feet alter, elongating and growing webbing between fingers and toes. He suddenly had an urge to dive into the water and swim, knowing that it would feel like the most natural thing in the world. He reached up to feel the necklace and his hand brushed against gills along his neck and breastbone.
In a sudden panic, Vambran wondered if the transformation was permanent, and he yanked the necklace off again. At once, his body returned to its human anatomy, and he breathed a sharp sigh of relief. He slowly slipped the necklace back into place and felt the aquatic adaptation happen again.
"We have one for your companion, too," Serille said, "but we can give it to him later. He looks content."
Vambran looked over at Arbeenok, who had chosen to meditate, and saw the alaghi sitting very still with his eyes closed. He had to agree with the girl's assessment.
"Come on," Serille said, trotting toward the water. She looked back at Vambran.
The mercenary hesitated, turning back and reaching for his sword. "I don't feel right without this," he said, but he had no idea how to swim with it in his hand, since he no longer wore its scabbard.
"Leave it," Serille instructed. Instead, she took up a trident, one that had been borne into the cavern by another sea elf. She handed the new weapon to Vambran and said, "Can you use this?"
The lieutenant considered the aquatic weapon for a moment and gave it an experimental thrust, then nodded.
"Then let's go," the girl said, and laughing, she turned and splashed into the water.
Vambran followed her into the ocean, wondering what it would feel like, swimming with webbed hands and feet. It took him a moment to acclimate to his natural buoyancy and to learn to thrust properly, but soon enough, the mercenary was scooting through the water, able to keep up with Serille most of the time. Occasionally, she would swim circles around him, tickling him, and he would find it difficult to keep her at bay. Then, once she swam away, leaving him behind, he would stroke hard to catch up. When he realized that he had lost her, he began to worry, wondering if he could find his way back to the cave, but at the next moment, she popped up from behind a rock, laughing at him.
The most wondrous thing about the necklace, Vambran soon learned, was that he could speak with the girl and hear her speak.
"This way," she said at last and swam toward a large forest of the green plants growing from the ocean floor. It was a fairly flat place, and the plants grew thick and tall.
"What is this?" Vambran asked as they drifted among the treelike growths.
"It's called kelp," Serille answered. "Isn't it beautiful?" And she darted away, vanishing, beginning a game of hide and seek.
Vambran tried to keep up with the girl, but he kept getting his trident tangled in the kelp, and finally he called out, "I give up! You're too good!" Serille poked him from behind with her toe. When he spun to look at her, she swam to him, wrapping him in a most suggestive embrace, and kissed him.
CHAPTER 11
"Getting to House Darowdryn should be quite an adventure," Pilos said. The Abreeant, Edilus, and the mercenaries had pulled the wagon into an alley near the store where Emriana and, to their extreme surprise, Xaphira were hiding. They were all circled around the trussed up form of Lobra Pharaboldi, who was scowling at them, her mouth stuffed with cloth. "I can't believe you're here," he said, beaming at Emriana.