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The three carpets flew over the Vasmar on a south by southwest route that Eric had chosen by dead reckoning to take them to the village of Pubshill. As the Azirian noble glanced towards the sun again, trying to get his bearings over the open sea, Bilbus hollered from the second carpet.

"Hey, Eric! Do you know where we're going?"

Eric nodded. "It would help if I had some equipment to measure our heading and location." Eric had Breanna slow his carpet to a crawl and gestured to Bilbus to fly alongside him. He waved back to Rishala, flying the larger carpet, to pull alongside as well. "Rishala, don't you know how to use Heka to create things?"

"Aye," Rishala responded.

"Can you create me an astrolabe? I would like to verify our route."

"Can you describe it?"

Eric described a brass instrument with multiple discs that could be used to estimate time and position by comparing the instrument's face to the position of the sun. A minute later, Rishala finished weaving Heka into the air in front of him. The astrolabe appeared in Rishala's hands. The Caledonian held the instrument out to Eric, who made several adjustments of the discs and glanced at the sun.

"We're heading in the right direction," Eric announced. He muttered quietly to himself, "It's been too long since I've had to do any navigation. I'm out of practice."

A few hours later, he realized how far out of practice he really was. The carpets were approaching land, but the vast forests of the Dales spread out to the southwest, and the plains of the Kingdom of the Five Crowns spread to the southeast.

"We're heading in the right direction?" Bilbus asked jestingly.

Eric studied the forest that stretched south from the shore and southwest into a dark mass of green leaves. "We just flew two hundred miles over open water with no landmarks and no instruments, and we wound up thirty miles off course. I'd say that wasn't too bad, Bilbus." He steered his carpet west to follow the shoreline towards Pubshill.

Bilbus flew his carpet alongside Eric's. "How shall we approach the town? Should we sneak in? Or just go talk to the baron, noble-to-noble?"

Eric shrugged. "Considering Suderpol? Maybe we should just raze the town for consistency's sake." He grinned.

"Wait, Eric," Bilbus protested. "Let's hold off burning down the town. If I can take it intact, I'll lay claim to it."

Rishala chortled loudly from his carpet, behind the other two, "Bilbus, are ye getting sensible in your old age?"

Bilbus yelled over his shoulder, "That's what happens when you have a kid, and you have another on the way." Returning to his conversation with Eric, Bilbus suggested, "I could just walk in and say 'hi'. We don't need all of us to go into town. You, Rishala, and Bree could wait outside of town in case things go badly."

Eric mulled over the idea. "We can land in the forest and approach by foot on one of the roads into town."

Bilbus nodded. "It would be the least obvious way. Flying over town would be too odd."

Eric wondered, "How do we deal with the Merchants and their Black Galleys when they show up?"

"Burn them to the waterline," Rishala offered.

"But how? I can't exactly turn into a dragon here like I did in the dream lands."

Riding next to Rishala, Ingaborgen offered, "We could convince the townsfolk of a Javik raid. They may think the Black Galleys are Javik."

"It would make a good distraction," Bilbus agreed.

"What's that?" Eric blurted. "It looks like a ship washed ashore," he added after a moment of study.

Ahead of the carpets, on the shore, was a medium-sized merchant ship. It listed to one side on a sandy stretch of beach, and its sails hung loosely. Eric drew out his spyglass from its protective leather case and studied the ship.

"It's the Rising Wave," he said.

"The ship we were on?" Breanna gasped from ahead of Eric on the carpet. "I thought kelpies were protecting it."

"I think they were protecting us," Eric replied.

"How did it get here?" Breanna wondered.

"The captain did say he was sailing on to Portsdale. I can see sea weed on the deck, and it looks like bloodstains. Land us near the ship, Bree. We need to check for survivors."

"You're going to board it?" Breanna asked.

"We have to."

"I'll put some magickal armor on you."

"I'll go with you, Eric," Bilbus said.

"So will I," Ingaborgen added. "How do you want to board it?"

"Let's take a carpet up to the deck," Eric said. "Rishala, I want to use the large one."

Rishala stood up to stretch. Several hours sitting on a carpet had been taxing. "Aye, feel free. I'm going to stretch out and see if there's anything on the shore nearby."

Bilbus, Eric, Breanna, and Ingaborgen climbed onto the large carpet. Breanna flew it towards the tilted deck of the ship as Rishala walked around the Rising Wave.

The carpet set down on the slanted deck. Bilbus shuffled to the railing. "There are fresh scratches on the railing, Eric. Just like the ones that were lacquered over."

"The blood is dried," Ingaborgen announced. "There's a lot of it. It's odd, though. The blood is in pools, not sprays. And there's several pools of it, at that."

"Let's check below decks," Eric suggested as he walked towards a door below the front deck.

The four made their way through the ship, finding no bodies. There were several places where bloodstains marked brief skirmishes, but no other signs of trouble until they reached the captain's cabin.

Inside, Captain McAilic lay on his sea table, eyes staring dully at the ceiling. His midsection had been torn open, and he had been eviscerated.

"Oh," Ingaborgen mumbled.

"I… I need to get some air," Breanna muttered queasily before leaving the captain's cabin. "I'll see if I can contact the kelpies and find out what happened."

"Eric, are ye in there?" Rishala's voice floated in from the open rear windows.

Eric strode over to the window. "Yes. We found the captain. He's been cut open. He's dead."

Rishala stood on the shore a couple of paces from the waves, where he could see the rear of the ship. "I found where six of the crew had been dragged a few paces in shore. They've been gutted. Whatever did it walked back out to sea. It was nae human."

"No, it was frogmen," Bilbus said.

"But Deep Ones don't have claws. Not like the ones we saw in the railing of the ship," Ingaborgen reminded Bilbus.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Eric wondered. "There should have been another dozen men around here somewhere."

"Meridaun used clairvoyance to check around here, and we only found those six bodies," Rishala said.

"Maybe we can contact the kelpies to find out what happened," Eric thought aloud.

"They haven't answered Bree yet," Bilbus noted.

"The Black Galleys must have carried the Deep Ones to catch the Rising Wave," Eric surmised.

"Why?" Ingaborgen interjected. "Deep Ones don't need boats."

Bilbus looked at the dead captain on the table. "We should get the other bodies aboard. We can burn the ship as a funeral pyre."

"What is it with you burning ships?" Eric asked.

"This is a cursed ship, and keeping it from sailing again is doing everyone a favor. Besides, it would be faster than having to dig graves for everyone. I'll find some canvas from the ship's stores." He looked at Eric. "It's going to take some time to get this done. Someone should scout ahead to Pubshill, since the sun is nearly set."

"I can go," Ingaborgen offered.

"We can send Breanna and Meridaun as well, in case of trouble," Eric suggested. "And maybe Morianna."

The three people left the ship. Once Eric relayed the plans, Morianna stated, "I'm staying with the Codex. If Bilbus stays here, I stay here."

"Okay," Eric said slowly. "Bree, take Ingaborgen and Meridaun. Land outside of town and approach on foot. Keep an eye out for anything unusual."

Breanna took the large carpet. She, Meridaun, and Ingaborgen flew along the coast, well above the treetops, until they spotted the large clearing in the trees ahead that marked Pubshill. Breanna steered the carpet south until they came across the old road that led to Saltcliffs far to the east. She landed the carpet and rolled it up. The flying carpet was awkward, but she was able to tie some rope to it to sling it over her shoulder. She and her companions walked into town.

Pubshill after dark was unwelcoming. The crop fields were uneven, and many of the houses were ramshackle. Many lacked even simple paints to protect the wooden structures from the weather. Windows were closed and curtained, and no light escaped from the houses, save for the lone mansion on its coastal cliff. Even the older section of town near the mansion was uninviting. No animals ran around the town, and there were no people anywhere, either.

"Is the town abandoned?" Meridaun asked quietly.

"There's no pub," Ingaborgen noted.

"I haven't seen a temple, either," Breanna added. "Not even a shrine. That's unusual for a small town like this. I'd expect something for Bres for the crops, or maybe something for Llyr for fishing. There's definitely not enough cropland for a town this large, so they must fish."

"I see an inn," Ingaborgen stated. "Perhaps it's also the town's tavern."

She led the other two women towards the inn. The windows were shuttered, and the front door was closed. Ingaborgen hammered on the door, but there was no response. She waited a minute before trying again. Still no one answered the door.

"The inn's closed?" Ingaborgen wondered disbelievingly. "What kind of town is this?"

"One that doesn't receive visitors," Meridaun suggested.

"There's a ship at the wharf," Ingaborgen saw. "It's a small, coastal ship."

"There are lights at the baron's mansion," Breanna realized. "Perhaps we should go there."

"Let's see what we can learn from the ship, first," Ingaborgen said. "We need to find a story, first." She looked at Meridaun. "You are dressed like a noble woman." She glanced at Breanna. "Breanna and I are wearing armor. We're obviously guards. You need passage to Londoun, since your horse went lame."

"Okay," Meridaun agreed uncertainly.

As they approached the ship, Breanna studied the harbor master's shack. It was dark, like the rest of the town. "They won't sail tonight, unless they sail without checking in with the harbor master." She looked at the familiar rear of the ship. The name was scrawled across it: Sea Pox.

"Another of them," she noted.

"It looks like a sister to the ship we took to Noyonne," Ingaborgen agreed.

"It is. We've seen this type of ship several times now. Bilbus has one in his town's fleet. The commander of his fleet sunk one. We captured the one we took to Noyonne. And now there's this one."

Two men slouched near the gangplank, watching the three women approach. In the dark of the fading twilight, it was clear that neither man was the least bit interested in doing anything productive.

Meridaun stood at the bottom of the gangplank, with Ingaborgen and Breanna standing behind her. "I seek passage to Londoun," Meridaun said in the trade tongue. "My horse went lame outside of town, and the inn is closed. Can we board?"

"No."

"May we speak to your captain? Perhaps he is willing to take payment for travel."

"He sleeps. We will not rouse him. He does not wake kindly."

"I can offer plenty of gold," Meridaun suggested.

"Are there other ships?" Breanna whispered.

"Are there other ships that will make port here?" Meridaun asked the men.

"We are not from this village. We may be able to grant you passage, but you will not like where we go."

The other man laughed evilly.

"Will you travel close to Londoun? Or can we book passage on another ship where you're going?"

"You will not get a ship to Londoun from our home port, either."

"Very well," Meridaun said coolly. "Guards, let us go."

Meridaun led Breanna and Ingaborgen away from the wharf.

"Well, that was not helpful," Meridaun grumbled.

"Perhaps not," Breanna agreed. "There are lights on at the mansion. Perhaps we should watch it. We can split up to see if anyone comes or goes."

Meridaun and Ingaborgen agreed. The three women spread out to keep an eye on the baron's modest home.

Eric and Bilbus landed their respective carpets on a road that led into town. They rolled up their carpets and walked past the last few trees, surveying the village that spread out ahead of them.

As they walked, Eric asked, "Bilbus, why did you light a tabac stick from the funeral pyre while Rishala was performing the last rites? Don't you find that a little disrespectful?"

"Why?" Bilbus asked. "I took three puffs of the tabac to symbolize the three levels of existence - the Hells, Life, and the Heavens. Then I tossed the tabac into the pyre."

"When did you get theological on us?" Eric prodded.

"I was raised in a Church orphanage," Bilbus reminded his friend. "Some of what they taught sunk in."

"Look at this town," Eric said.

"There's not much to see. I've been here before, once," Bilbus retorted.

"A lot of the buildings out here look fairly new. They might be two years old, but they weren't treated for weather. They must have clear cut the forest to put up these houses."

"The town is bigger than I remember," Bilbus noted.

"And the crops are not well managed. The rows are crooked, and they're unevenly spaced. And I can see weeds."

"So Pubshill is not Armagh. So what? It's a fishing village."

"Don't you find it odd? There are grain crops, but they are poorly managed. There are a lot of newer houses, but they're not well built, and they're not cared for."

"It gets better in the old part of town."

As they wandered through the older, settled part of Pubshill, Eric added, "Where are the businesses. A town this large needs more than what's here. There's no tavern."

"Yeah, I know, Eric," Bilbus groused. "That's why I only came here once. It's not my favorite town."

"That is odd," Rishala concurred. "How can a town grow this large without any sort of pub? Isn't it called Pubshill?"

"I asked the baron about that," Bilbus admitted. He pointed to a hill on the edge of the village. "That's 'Pub's Hill'. There's no pub there, and I don't think there ever was."

Rishala took out his flask of whiskey. As he took a drink, he heard Breanna's voice behind him state, "So, that's where Meri is."

Rishala choked on the strong Caledonian whiskey. "Gods, Bree!"

"You didn't hear me?" she asked innocently as she smiled wickedly.

"Ach, no!"

"That's my Bree," Bilbus smirked.

"Where's Ingaborgen?" Eric asked Breanna.

"She's on her way over here." Breanna waved towards Meridaun. The distant figure, standing under a tree, waved back and started to walk towards the rest of the party.

"What did you find?" Eric asked.

"The town looks dead. There's no tavern, no temple, and no open businesses anywhere. The baron's mansion is the only place that has light. There is a ship at the wharf, the Sea Pox."

Bilbus grinned. "The Aquasition Three."

"Wouldn't that be 'Two'?" Breanna asked.

"No, we burned Aquasition Two in Noyonne."

As Ingaborgen and Meridaun arrived, Eric asked, "What now? The Black Galleys aren't here yet, but they should be any time now."

"We can sneak onto the ship and take their maps," Bilbus suggested. "Or perhaps we should get an invitation to board?"

"They've seen us already," Breanna informed her friends. "Meri posed as a noble seeking passage to Londoun."

"Okay, the women can visit the baron, and I'll sneak aboard," Bilbus offered.

"That's a bad idea," Eric replied. "We should keep everyone nearby. The women can distract the men while you board."

"I could touch the ship and send it to a pocket dimension, like I did to part of the Black Galley," Rishala recommended.

"We may need that ship," Eric said. "Rishala, you could sneak aboard with Bilbus to see what you can find. I'll get on a rooftop nearby to keep an eye on things, and see if I can spot the galleys. Breanna, you and Meri and Ingaborgen can go talk to the crew again to distract them."

"What about me?" Morianna asked. "Can I go with Bilbus?"

"Come with me," Eric ordered. "Bilbus and Rishala need to be quiet, and they've worked together before. Once we're done, we can meet here in front of the inn. It's out of sight of the ship."

Eric led Morianna to a house near the shore. He climbed a tree adjacent to the house before stepping across to the roof. He kneeled on the slightly-pitched roof and watched the Sea Pox.

Once Bilbus saw Eric on the roof, he turned to Rishala. "Make us invisible, and I'll put a fly casting on both of us so we can fly through the captain's cabin window."

"Aye," Rishala agreed as he started weaving Heka into Bilbus. "How are we going to keep track of each other while we're invisible?"

"We can use a Heka weaving that lets us communicate without speaking." Once Bilbus had completed the magicks, the two men flew towards the Sea Pox.

As they flew over Meridaun, who stood at the base of the gangplank, Bilbus heard her ask, "Are you sure you can not wake the captain? We would not want to sleep outside tonight."

Bilbus flew through the open cabin window, under assault from a horrendous snoring. Bilbus drifted a few feet in before settling to the ground.

"You here, Rishala?" he whispered.

"Aye," came the disembodied reply.

The captain's snoring stuttered, and the man murmured to himself.

"Just a moment," Bilbus whispered. He channeled strands of Heka into the sleeping captain. "That'll keep him out for a few hours."

Bilbus looked at the table in the cabin. A logbook weighed down a map. Bilbus hefted the logbook and gave it to Rishala. The map itself was a map of the southern extents of the Vasmar. Nothing looked out of place.

"Rishala, check the logbook. I'm going to check the smuggling compartments."

Rishala thumbed through the logbook in the near darkness. He carefully channeled a trickle of Heka into a glowing orb so he could read the crabbed writing. "Nothing helpful," Rishala surmised. "It lists different ports, with messages like 'picked up cargo' or 'dropped cargo'."

"What sort of cargos?" Bilbus asked interestedly.

"It doesn't say."

"Nothing in the captain's smuggling compartment. Let's check the below-decks spots," Bilbus stated.

They searched the smuggling compartments below decks. Bilbus was glad to have the Aquasition - the Sea Pox's twin - since it made the search easy. He and Rishala checked the hold while they were at it. The hold was empty, but Bilbus spotted the anchor points for slave restraints.

"Empty ship," he noted as he stood in the empty hold. "How many are aboard, do you suppose?"

"Your motives are suspect, Bilbus."

"It's a free boat, Rishala. If I counted right, they have a minimal crew."

"Where's it heading?"

"The charts didn't say."

"We could leave something here, a belonging that we can track with Heka, and see where they are going next."

Bilbus thought for a moment. "I have just the thing. Let's go back to the captain's cabin."

Within the cabin, Bilbus reached into a hidden pocket. He withdrew a folded piece of paper. As he unfolded the paper, he explained, "My last Hellenic scrip. This paper money is worthless anywhere outside of Hellenas."

"Aye, Bilbus. I bought the rest of your scrip at a pretty good rate, as I recall."

"Yes, but I kept this one scrip. I will spend it someday in Hellenas. I just have to return to Hellenas to get rid of it. Until then, I will carry it with me." Bilbus spotted a book on the captain's modest bookshelf. He wrestled the heavy book loose and opened it. After placing the Hellenic bank note within the book, Bilbus returned the book to its place on the shelf.

"Shall we go?" Rishala asked.

"Yes."

Meridaun was still talking to the two crewmen as Bilbus flew over. Slowing and taking careful aim as he flew over Breanna, who stood behind Meridaun, Bilbus dropped a coin into Breanna's bodice. He smiled to himself when Breanna jumped and quietly snarled, "Bilbus!"

Breanna leaned close to Meridaun, who abruptly told the sailors that she and her entourage would seek shelter at the baron's mansion. The three women left, heading towards the inn.

Eric watched the women leave before climbing back to the ground. He led Morianna to the inn, where the women talked quietly with the still-invisible Bilbus and Rishala.

"Any problems?" Eric asked.

"No," Bilbus replied. "The logbook was not helpful, and the charts don't show any planned destinations. The hold is empty, and there's nothing in the smuggling compartments. How about you?"

"Other than the man in the house thinking I was a cat making noise on the roof, nothing happened."

"Someone was in the house?" Rishala inquired. "Then maybe the town isn't a complete sham."

"What next?" Eric wondered.

"We go to the mansion," Bilbus said. "I'm a fellow Dalesian baron. He's obligated to provide shelter."

"Isn't it going to be odd if you just show up for no reason?"

"I could tell him I was heading back to Portsdale from the wedding in Londoun. I ran into old friends, and I spent a few extra days there after the wedding. I was heading back to Portsdale, and it was getting late, and I decided to push on to Pubshill, since it was close by. The rest of you could be my entourage. He wouldn't know the difference." Bilbus unwound the magickal bindings that made him invisible. "Although maybe Rishala should stay invisible, just in case we need someone to sneak around."

"Okay," Rishala agreed.

Bilbus led his friends to the mansion. He wrapped loudly on the door and waited for it to open. When a mousey servant opened the door to peer out, Bilbus pushed the door open and strode in, ignoring the servant's surprised exhalation.

"Baron del Cartach?" the servant squeaked.

Arrogantly, Bilbus snapped, "Yes. I and my entourage require shelter and meals. Inform Baron del Bartholo that I am here."

"Baron del Cartach, I am sorry but Baron del Bartholo is not here. He is out on business, and he will be back in the morning."

"Very well. We still require shelter and meals."

"The guest rooms are full."

"Why?" Bilbus demanded.

"Some of the Baron's family are here. We will put you up in the guest house, of course, and bring meals."

"I require wine with my meal," Bilbus said. "If you have a Scowling Knight vintage, I will have it."

"Of course, Baron del Cartach. I will notify the kitchen staff right away, and I will get a servant to escort you to the guest house."

The guest house was near the mansion, close to the shore. It was little more than a half dozen sleeping chambers that emptied into a common sitting room, but it was ornately decorated and comfortable.

Bilbus settled into one of the plush sofas within the sitting room while he waited for the servants to bring a meal. The meal that arrived was an unimaginative combination of bread, fish, and some assorted vegetables, but the wine caught Bilbus's attention.

"Rishala, are you in here?" he asked after the servant who delivered the wine bottle had departed.

"Aye," came the disembodied voice.

"Look at this. It's one of Sturm's earlier vintages - it must be ten years old. That's when his casks were still mostly willowbark. It definitely won't be one of these newer, sweeter wines that Kasey's been making."

As the party settled to eat, Rishala wove Heka into an invisible orb. Focusing on the orb, he flew it out of the guest house and into the baron's mansion. Starting on the upper floor, Rishala moved the orb into a guest room.

"What's wrong?" Bilbus blurted.

"Do you still have that Heka link between us Bilbus? It'll cause brain damage." Rishala grinned to himself when Bilbus hastily unwove the magickal link. "I sent a clairvoyance orb into the baron's mansion. His guests, the ones that the servant said were family, are bugbears. There's six bugbears in the mansion, waiting in the six guest rooms. Once of them is writing in a journal."

"Well, what's he writing?" Bilbus asked.

"I canna read bugbear, Bilbus."

"So use a Heka weaving to translate it."

"I don't know it."

"I'll teach it to you, then."

"Not yet. Let me finish scouting the house."

Several quiet minutes passed as the party continued to eat.

"Och! The baron's study has a large map of the Vasmar."

"Good. I'll steal it," Bilbus decided. "I've commissioned a map like that, anyway."

"Aye, but does yours have the face of a monster in its center, a monster with tentacles covering its mouth? A face that looks like the face on your drow medallion?"

"No, I can't say it does."

"This one does. It also has a route marked from Pubshill to the Center of the Vasmar. It's the only route to the center."

"Is there anything else?"

"Aye. There is an open book of astronomy on the table."

Eric interjected. "The map shows the heading to get to the Center of the Vasmar from here?"

"Aye."

"Perhaps we could take that route. We could go to the Center of the Vasmar."

"No!" Bilbus barked. "I'd rather go back to Citadel Altspire. Or Suderpol. Not to the Center of the Vasmar. It is a cursed place. Look at the Rising Wave. Why would we go there?"

Eric spoke quietly. "Because I suspect that's where the Baron went. I don't think he'll be back tomorrow." He looked towards where Rishala's invisible voice originated. "Did you say there was a journal one of the bugbears was writing?"

"Aye, but I don't read bugbear."

Bilbus offered, "I can teach you the casting. Eric, write something in Karasimian."

Eric opened his journal to a blank page and started writing. When he stopped, Bilbus said, "Watch what I do."

A moment later, he and Rishala both were chuckling.

"Aye, Eric. I dinna realize you were wanting time with Bree. Perhaps we should let you two have some quiet time. Or not so quiet time."

"Yeah, yeah," Eric replied. "What did the bugbear write?"

A minute passed before Rishala reported back. "He writes that they arrived yesterday on the Sea Pox, but the baron had already sailed without waiting for the escort that Lady Edralve had insisted he take. The bugbears are waiting for new orders, but they canna talk to their commanders, so they have to wait for the Baron to return."

Bilbus asked, "What was in that astronomy book?"

"I didn't check it yet," Rishala answered.

"Let's go get it. I'll demand it from the servants."

"Why not steal it, Bilbus? You want to steal that sea chart, anyway. If you ask for a particular astronomy book, they may realize that you know what's going on."

"Good point. Let's go."

Bilbus strode to the door of the guest house. He swung the door open and walked outside, leaving the door wide so the invisible Rishala could get through. The two approached the closed, locked window Rishala identified as the study's window, and Bilbus waved a hand over the latch on the interior of the window. The small trickle of Heka that he pushed into the latch caused it to spring open. The mountebank-turned-noble pulled the window open and pushed the curtain aside. After a brief glance to ensure no one was in the room, Bilbus climbed in.

He approached the map, taking a moment to scribble down the navigation information for the route to the Center of the Vasmar. Bilbus then searched the room for a blank sheet of paper. Pointing the palm of his hand at the large chart, he wound Heka throughout the chart. A miniaturized copy of the chart appeared on the blank paper he held.

"At least I have a copy, now," he stated.

Bilbus crossed over to the desk. That large book was open to a particular page that noted a date about a week in the future. Bilbus put his miniature copy of the map in the open book to mark the current page, and he shut the book.

"Ready to go, Rishala?"

"Aye."

Bilbus climbed out of the window, taking time to close the curtains and magickally reset the latch before he returned to the guest house.

Once back, he opened the book on a table in the common room. The writing was particularly dense, and Bilbus puzzled over it for a few minutes.

"Rishala?"

"Aye."

"What's this all mean? This is pretty cryptic."

"Aye. It's an astronomy chart book. It's telling the positions of the moon and the wanderers. It'd be a good astrology reference, for that matter."

"Sure, whatever, but why did he mark this page?"

Rishala was quiet for a moment. He unraveled his invisibility magicks as he studied the page. "There's a full moon next week."

"Yeah, no kidding. Go look at the moon right now. Why do we need a book to tell us this?"

"Aye, but several of the wanderers eclipse stars at the same time." Rishala was quiet again as he reread the page. "Interesting."

"What's that?" Eric asked, his curiosity piqued.

"The full moon occurs at the same time as the three wanderers eclipsing stars, and the best viewing place is the Center of the Vasmar. The footnotes point out that these eclipses and the full moon haven't taken place in two thousand and forty-eight years."

Bilbus moaned. "And what happened two thousand forty-eight years ago? The Fall of Camelough. And why was the Great Lord trying to defeat King Paendroeg? To get to the Center of the Vasmar."

"How do you know?" Eric asked.

"I heard it somewhere. I don't know."

"And if Sturm hadn't stopped him two years ago, the Dark One would be marching to the Center of the Vasmar again. We need to take the Sea Pox and sail. It'll be a week before we get there, and if we don't leave by morning, we'll be too late."

"Which means we get there the day of the full moon," Bilbus moaned.

"Aye," Rishala agreed. "Perhaps it's time I study that fragment of the Codex. Perhaps I can figure out exactly why it was being sent to the Baron." The Caledonian took the satchel that held the Codex and sat down on a couch to start poring through the ancient tome.

"We need to figure out how to get aboard the ship," Eric said.

"We could just take it," Bilbus offered. Before Eric could reply, he added, "Or we can con our way aboard. We could act like we're the Ians, delivering the Codex for the Baron."

"But we already approached them as a noble and her escorts needing transportation," Breanna protested.

"You could just say you were testing their allegiance," Bilbus suggested.

Eric asked, "Why would they let us aboard, even if they bought the story? They didn't know where the Baron was headed, and they wouldn't willingly travel to the Center of the Vasmar."

"We could get the bugbears to help. I can tell them I have the book, and we must catch up to the Baron. I'm sure the bugbears could be very persuasive." Bilbus dug a bulky book out of his backpack. "Rishala, give me the wrapping for the Codex." Once Rishala handed Bilbus the ancient leather, Bilbus wrapped his book in the leather. "See? It's the Codex."

Bilbus took the book and went back to the baronial mansion. Using a Heka weave, he floated to the second story window of one of the bugbears. He wrapped on the window carefully. When the window opened slightly, Bilbus used another Heka weave to allow him to speak the bugbear tongue.

"I have the book," he said gruffly.

"What book?" came the quietly snarling reply from behind the room's curtains.

"The book the baron needs."

"I don't know anything about a book," the bugbear replied. "I am just supposed to escort the Baron. He left without us."

"Okay. Boring town."

The bugbear grunted agreement. "They keep us in their house because there is no tavern. How humans live like this, I do not know."

"I will head back to report that the human is not keeping to the agreement," Bilbus said.

Bilbus floated back to the ground level and walked back to the guest house. He met Eric at the door.

"Where'd you go?" Bilbus asked.

"I went to the house to get a jar of honey," Eric replied.

"Still wanting some private time with Bree?" Bilbus smirked.

"She went to the shore to see if she could contact the kelpies somehow. Did you notice the people leaving town?"

"What people?" Bilbus asked.

"West of town, it looks like a lot of people heading into the woods. And some of the people looked like they were hopping."

"Rishala should check it out."

"That's what I thought."

Bilbus and Eric went inside. Eric relayed what he had seen to Rishala, who weaved another clairvoyant casting. He concentrated on the magickal energies as they floated west out of town.

"There's a clearing a half mile out of town," he reported as he continued to concentrate on the magickal vision. "It looks like they're going to light a large bonfire. I see people and Deep Ones. Most of them are dancing around and chanting." He shuddered. "There's a statue in the middle of the stack of logs and wood. It is something crouching on a pedestal, with tentacles covering the mouth. Remember the statue we saw in the tunnel to Erelhei Cinlu? It's a smaller version."

"What do we do about it?" Eric asked.

"We could stop them," Bilbus suggested. "Or attack them magickally. We could fly over on our carpets as we leave town to attack them."

"It's a distraction," Rishala pointed out. "If the townsfolk are busy at this ritual, we could board the Sea Pox and sail. No one in town would be the wiser for it."

"I agree," Eric pronounced. "Let's get that ship going. We should sail now, while they're distracted. I'll get Bree. The rest of you, head to the Sea Pox."

When Eric reached the wharf, Bilbus was already talking to the crew on the deck. "We'll pay you for passage. We must leave immediately," Bilbus insisted.

"We're not for hire," one of the men said, his voice trailing off as he looked past Bilbus towards the town.

Eric looked over his shoulder. A number of people were approaching the guest house with torches. They piled wood near the base of the house and applied the torches. The house was soon engulfed in flames. The arsonists danced around the flames, chanting insanely. Some of them had distinctly batrachian appearances.

"Hells," the crewman muttered. "Deep Ones? They sacrifice humans."

"Now do you see why we want to leave?" Bilbus yelled.

"Get aboard. Hurry! We have to cast off! Rouse the crew," the first crewman ordered. "I'll get the officers."

Bilbus quickly took charge, ordering his friends to cut mooring lines and ready the sails. Besides Ingaborgen, who took to the mast without command, Bilbus's friends floundered, uncertain just what Bilbus was demanding. By the time the crew had been rousted from their beds, the Sea Pox was only just cut free of the wharf.

One of the men arriving on deck bellowed, "What in the Hells are you doing with my ship?"

"Who are you?" Bilbus snapped.

"I'm the first officer, and until the captain is on deck, this is my ship."

"I am Lord Hogain, sacker of Citadel Altspire. I have ordered this ship to sea to escape the Deep Ones attacking Pubshill."

"You're the one who brought down Citadel Altspire?" the officer said unbelievingly. "I'd heard a human had organized the orcs' final attack."

Behind Bilbus, Morianna muttered to Rishala, "He attacked the dwarven kingdom? I thought he wasn't on the Dark One's side."

Rishala shrugged. "Bilbus isn't always sure who's side he's on."

The officer took command of his ship, noting the heading Bilbus had provided.

"Lord Hogain, this heading takes us close to the Center of the Vasmar."

"It will take us directly to the Center," Bilbus corrected.

"But..."

"We must go there. The Baron has left for the Center of the Vasmar, and he does not have an important book he needs. I will not listen to arguments."

"Very well," the officer growled.

Finger Commander Krz was glad he had chosen to accompany this squad of orcs into the field. He needed to go afield regularly to keep up his woodsman skills, and this squad had been ordered to travel across the Dales to Pubshill to keep a watchful eye on the town of Baron del Bartholo. Baron del Cartach wanted surreptitious reconnaissance maintained on his erstwhile benefactor's town, just as he had squads of orcish rangers watching the towns of other important Dalesian nobles.

The squad had arrived on station outside of Pubshill three days prior, and they had already seen some very unusual occurrences, things that the squad informed Finger Commander Krz had never happened before. First one ship arrived at the wharf, one of the Aquasition-type ships that the Great Lord's human allies on the Vasmar favored. That ship left with a man the rangers identified as the baron. A day later, a second ship of the same type arrived, carrying six bugbears who took up residence in the baron's mansion.

During this time, a number of the men of the town went into the woods east of the village to construct a large pyre. They carried a statue of the Great One to the pyre, and several of the men kept a vigil over the stack of wood.

The town itself was curiously devoid of much activity. Men tilled the fields, or left on fishing boats, but women were never seen outside. Several times, there were children outside, but they were invariably sullen, and they were called back into houses by oddly croaking shouts.

Shortly after the second ship arrived with the bugbears, Krz saw several women arrive in town after flying in on magickal carpets. They spent some time talking to the crew of the ship before meeting Baron del Cartach and his companions. Not willing to break operational security, Krz and his rangers avoided making contact with the baron. While they were in town, Krz watched most of the village's men leave their homes, heading west to the pyre. Leaving the houses of most of the men were frog-like Deep Ones. These beings lit the massive bonfire and engaged in wild gyrations and chants around it before a few of them gathered torches and went back to town.

The Baron must have known they were coming. He and his companions were already setting sail on the ship when the Deep Ones and their human companions lit the guest house on fire. As the ship sailed away, the arsonists turned on the local baron's mansion.

The bugbears must have noticed the guest house burning, Krz decided. The six giant ursine beasts exploded out of the house, swinging their greatswords like scythes to cut through the humans and Deep Ones intent on murder.

The bugbears ran through town, heading towards the woods near where Krz and his rangers watched.

"We stop them," he ordered his orcs quietly.

The orcs quickly picked their way through the trees surrounding Pubshill, until they were directly in line with the fleeing bugbears' intended route. As the bugbears neared the treeline, Krz ordered his rangers to step into the open.

The bugbears lumbered to a halt, looking at the shorter porcine orcs who stood in front of them. One of the bugbears took a step forward and growled in the orcish tongue, "You will escort us to the nearest Portal. We must report to the baroness of the events here."

Krz straightened and scowled. "I am Finger Commander Krz, First Finger, Ranger's Fist, of the Tree Eaters Tribe. You are now prisoners of the Tree Eaters Tribe."

The bugbears snarled, raising their greatswords as they charged the orcs. The orcs were ready for the attack, quickly raising their bows and loosing arrows into the bugbears. Two of the bugbears were killed immediately, the rest wounded before they had closed distance with the orcs.

"Surrender!" Krz demanded.

The bugbears stopped, dropping their greateswords, and raised their empty hands.

"Now we are prisoners of the traitors' tribe of orcs," the bugbear commander rasped, fighting to ignore the pain of the arrow through his abdomen.

Krz snarled, "The Great Lord abandoned the orc tribes. He could not finish his war, and he abandoned his armies in this land, with no way home to Phaeree and the Unseelie Court. We have learned much in the generations since the Great Lord's War, and we no longer will bow our heads to the drow or their minions. We live as our own tribe, not the tools of another. You will be escorted to the Ranger's Fist Headquarters." Krz smiled cruelly. "We have some questions for you."

The Sea Pox traveled briskly across the Vasmar, heading towards the infamous Center of the Vasmar. Two days of strong, magickally enhanced breezes and clear skies had given Rishala plenty of time to study the fragment of the Codex that he and his friends had obtained from Ians' Recovery Agency. The study had been exceedingly difficult - the Codex was written in an extremely archaic variant of the al-Rhayidhian tongue, and the dense, crabbed writing was difficult to comprehend, even with magickal assistance. Rishala needed to take a break and mull over what little he had comprehended, so he sought out his friends on deck.

Breanna was studying a book of herbs she had acquired somewhere. Morianna and Meridaun were talking idly near the mast. Bilbus was staring off the aft of the ship. Ingaborgen was watching the crew with an appraising eye.

Eric was sitting on the foredeck of the ship, his legs crossed in the Karasimian yoga position for introspective study. Eric glanced up at Rishala as the Caledonian approached.

"How goes the Codex?" Eric asked as he unfolded his legs.

"I think I'm making sense of the first part of it. The first several pages have illustrations of the stars, the moon, and the wanderers. They show a full moon overhead being eclipsed, along with three particular stars getting eclipsed by the wanderers. It's difficult to interpret the writing. Not only is it an old dialect of al-Rhayidhian, but it's full of religious wording. I think the first page of this fragment is the last parts of a summoning spell, and the next several pages, with the illustrations, are detailing steps for binding whatever is being summoned."

"Wasn't the astronomy book in the Baron's study open to a page marking a full moon and stars being eclipsed?"

"Aye. And the star charts in the Codex match what is going to happen on the night of the next full moon."

"Do you think the baron has the previous part of the Codex?"

"Aye. It's too much of a coincidence for this part of the Codex to start with a binding ritual that only applies on one night every two thousand odd years. The Baron must have the summoning ritual, but he doesn't have the binding ritual."

"He may not be interested in binding whatever he's summoning. If this thing is supposed to bring about the end of the world, Baron del Bartholo may not care if it's uncontrolled."

The whistle of the wind through the rigging of the ship faded. A glance up confirmed that the sails had suddenly become limp.

Eric sprung to his feet, reaching for his spyglass to search the horizon.

Bilbus, who was on the aft deck, watching the wake behind the ship, looked around, a grin on his face as he spotted Breanna. "Forget something with the winds, Bree?"

Breanna was looking at the sails. "No. That weaving was tied off right. I double-checked. Someone disjoined the winds."

Bilbus's smile disappeared. "I didn't feel anything."

"Neither did I," Rishala said.

"Me neither," Breanna agreed.

Bilbus was already drawing his own spyglass from its protective case.

"Ship ahoy!" called a sailor from atop the main mast. He pointed east, of the starboard side of the ship.

Spyglasses converged on the eastern horizon.

Eric identified the approaching ship. "A Black Galley, approaching fast under oars. The bow is lifting out of the sea."

Breanna quickly reweaved the Heka flows that created the strong wind that had pushed the Sea Pox. No sooner had the sails filled once more, and the wind died out again. Breanna cursed under her breath.

Bilbus watched the approaching ship. "Rishala, can you repeat that pocket whatever casting that made the bow of the last Black Galley disappear?"

"Aye. Do you have something for me to cast it on?"

"One of Eric's arrows. I'll trigger it so it activates on contact."

Bilbus took one of Eric's arrows from its quiver and carefully wove the trigger casting that would hold Rishala's magicks. Rishala took the arrow and wove his own convoluted strands of Heka into the magickal cradle Bilbus had prepared. Eric took the arrow and waited for the ship to close. At extreme range, he nocked the arrow on his longbow and let it fly. The arrow sailed across the clear blue sky and plummeted towards the Black Galley.

Nothing happened.

"You missed," Bilbus said unbelievingly.

"No, it hit. It didn't do anything."

The galley closed. There were three Merchants from Leng on the deck, near the bow, watching the Sea Pox impassively.

Two hundred paces from the Sea Pox, the Black Galley put its oars in the water, using them to brake the ship's forward momentum.

"We wish to parlay," the lead merchant called out with a magickally-enhanced voice.

"What do you want?" Eric asked.

"We want the Codex."

Bilbus muttered in Eric's ear, "Stall them. Negotiate. Something. Bree and I can take the herbal book I wrapped up and set some traps on it. We'll send it over to them, and if they unwrap it or try to disjoin the traps, it'll blow them up."

Eric nodded. To the merchants, he called out, "We can't just give it away."

Bilbus grabbed Breanna and led her into the ship's hold.

"We are merchants. We are happy to negotiate a price. We offer these." The merchant held one hand high. Something translucent and red sparkled in the sunlight. Eric looked at it through his spyglass. It was larger than the merchant's fist, and it was probably larger than a orc's fist.

"These are rubies of a kind found only at our home," the merchant explained. "We will gladly give you sixteen of these rubies in exchange for the part of the Codex that you possess."

"Sixteen rubies? Is the book that important?"

"Do you feel the offer is ungenerous?"

"Why not seventeen rubies?"

"Very well. Seventeen rubies from the Plateau of Leng. Please send over the Codex. We will send the rubies to you."

"How do we know you will keep the bargain?"

"You have no choice, human. Your ship will go nowhere."

"Good point," Eric muttered. "Very well. The Codex is in safekeeping. We are fetching it now. How shall we send it to you?"

"Your vessel has a small boat on its deck. Row it over."

Bilbus returned from the hold. "We're ready."

Bilbus put the wrapped bundle on a bench in the Sea Pox's rowboat. The crew of the Sea Pox lowered the boat into the water. Bilbus wove Heka into the boat to push it over to the Black Galley.

The lead merchant looked at the boat that bounced against their galley. "Stop toying with us. Send over the Codex."

"They must sense it," Rishala realized. "Like Breanna and I did."

"Let's see if they sense this," Bilbus growled as he wove Heka into the wrapped bundle, triggering the traps he and Breanna had placed.

The explosion was tremendous, sending sea spray towering into the sky. The hull of the Black Galley lifted out of the water, but to the observers' horror, it did not settle again. Instead, it charged directly towards the side of the Sea Pox, rushing forward at an impossible speed.

The collision splintered the Sea Pox, breaking her immediately into two large pieces and several smaller ones. The crew and passengers aboard the ship leaped overboard to avoid the impact and the flailing oars of the galley. The Black Galley continued rowing to the west.

As people grabbed onto floating debris, Eric scowled at the receding ship. "They are going to circle back for the Codex."

The galley continued rowing away.

"Or maybe not," Bilbus pointed out. "We're in the water, now. Maybe they're going to send those frog creatures to get it."

"We could get on the carpets and fly," Rishala reminded them.

"Or swim," Breanna added. "I know a weaving that would allow us to breathe underwater."

"Where the Deep Ones are," Bilbus said.

"Could the carpets work underwater?" Eric asked. "That would let us outrun the Deep Ones, but still remain where the merchants can't see us."

"I don't know," Bilbus said. "What about the crew? We can't leave them here in the water. We know what will happen if the Deep Ones catch them."

"There's enough debris from the ship that we could assemble a raft," Eric suggested.

"And leave them adrift?"

"Maybe Meridaun can stay here to make sure they get to shore. I hate leaving her behind, though. I think we're going to want her when we get to the center."

"I'll stay," Meridaun agreed reluctantly.

"No," Bilbus stated.

"I can create food," she said. "The crew won't starve."

"We can both create food and leave it with them." Bilbus looked past Meridaun. "Hello? What's this?" Bilbus swam towards some of the floating debris, a book case with several books. He dug out a thick book and opened it. "I found it!" He held a damp Hellenic scrip over his head before swimming back to the section of the deck that he had been holding.

The floating refugees set about pushing the larger sections of the deck and hull together to create a raft large enough for the small crew of the Sea Pox. They collected what supplies had floated, and Meridaun and Bilbus set about to create some meals that would provide the crew with sustenance until the party could return to guide the raft to shore. The party was going to take their flying carpets and press onwards towards the Center of the Vasmar to confront the Baron.

As the last few supplies were hefted onto the raft, Eric noticed three ships approaching from the northwest.

Bilbus noticed them at the same moment. "Great. They're back, with friends."

Eric shook out his spyglass. The immersion was not good for it, but the fresh water of the Vasmar was not as harsh as salt water. He telescoped it out to full length and studied the ships. "They're not Black Galleys. They're Javik."

Ingaborgen shouted loudly in her native tongue, waving her arms to get the attention of the ships, but it was soon clear that the Javik longboats were heading straight towards the raft. A tall figure stood at the front of the lead ship, gesturing towards the raft. He had silvery-blond hair, and he wore the distinctive leather armor of the Javik Raiders.

"Oh, good gods," Bilbus sputtered as the ships got closer. "It's Kasey."

They could hear the familiar Church Knight's voice. "Hey, I told you I saw wreckage." The towering blond warrior looked towards the refugees on their raft. His face lit up as he recognized his friends. "Hey, guys! Whatcha doing on a raft?" The smile changed when he saw Meridaun. "Mother Meridaun, I am glad to see you, as well." The smile furrowed into a slight frown. "Why aren't you in Londoun?"

Meridaun smiled sheepishly. "Your friends were out to save the world again. I couldn't let them have all the fun."

"You were going without me?"

"Kase," Bilbus interrupted, "we didn't have time to go to get you from the dwarves. Why are you on a Javik boat, anyway? I thought you were attacking orcs or something."

"I was," Kasey said. "They were sending raiding parties after the refugee camp, so the knights and I and some dwarves went to stop them. We took care of the raiding parties, but we saw them massing an army to march on the camp, so we set out to cut their supply lines. They had to send orcs after us to stop us, and they finally caught up with us a week ago."

"Where's Farran?" Breanna asked.

Kasey shrugged. "He left us about two weeks back. He took off running into the sea. He took my good saddle. I really liked that saddle. I never felt like I was going to slip off of Farran in that saddle."

During the ensuing pause, the captain of the lead ship, dressed similarly to Kasey but much shorter, said, "We found these Southlanders on the shore, fighting with some dwarves against what must have been a Finger of orcs. We had to help them."

Ingaborgen blurted in Javik, "Cousin Jurge?"

"Cousin Ingaborgen?" he countered. "I thought you had gone to the Southlanders to practice your accounting trades."

"I did," she replied. "I was with a foolish group of thieves, but this Southlander hired me to help his accounting. What are you doing with your father's longboats?" She looked again at the crews of the three ships. Her cousin was the oldest, at twenty-two, and several of the "men" were little more than fifteen. Several were cousins, and the rest were young men from her home village. "What are all of you doing out here with no elders?"

"You remember that Master Smith Coldiron left the village to defend Citadel Altspire when the dwarves were called home."

"Yes. And Apprentice Bode took over the smithy." She noticed Bode sitting in the longboat. "Only, he's here as well."

"Yes, well, Bode still had not mastered the finer points of swordsmithy, and our axes were getting worn, as well. He does well with the other things, but weapon smithing is not his strength."

Bode hung his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm no good."

Jurge continued, "So we decided to go get Master Smith. Cleric Redbard studied the signs, and he told us that Master Smith was still alive and well."

"And your father lent you his three fastest longboats."

"Ummm, no. Not quite like that."

"You took his ships?"

"Yeah, sorta."

"You are going to pay every Hell when you get home, you realize."

"But we found Master Smith! That'll count for something."

"And took his best ships at the beginning of the sea season."

"Yes, well, I'll worry about that when we get home, after we drop these Southlander knights off at Londoun." Switching back to the trade tongue, Captain Jurge informed the other refugees, "We are taking your knights to Londoun. It will be crowded, but we can take you there as well. You can find transport to your home port from there."

Eric replied, "We must go to the Center of the Vasmar."

Jurge looked at Eric as if the Karasimian had spontaneously caught fire. "No."

Before Eric could reply, Ingaborgen quickly said in Javik, "Listen, my Javik brothers. I have traveled with these Southlanders for a month and more now. They have told me of their travels. They battled against the Dark One to keep him from escaping his prison in the Wasted Lands, far beyond the sea south of the Southlanders. They have battled the dark elves who fear the heat of the sun. They fought Fists of orcs. While I was with them, they went to the hidden city of the cowardly slavers who raid our villages while the warriors are away. They destroyed that city with the wrath of the War God himself, may his axes never dull. They carry with them a book of magicks the likes of which we have only heard in hushed tales told at the mid-winter's solstice, for they want to stop the Thing in the Center of the Vasmar from waking and spreading its destruction on the world.

"We must travel with them, to the Center of the Vasmar. If they fail, the day comes soon when there will be no tomorrow. If we fight alongside them, we will have a story to tell our children's children, one that they will tell to their children's children."

She looked at the young men in the longboats.

"Heroes twice in one voyage," one of the youngest men muttered quietly. "An epic for the bards."

Ingaborgen could see it in the faces of the other young men. Despite the worries over traveling to the most accursed place in the Vasmar, they were already sold. Jurge looked over his shoulder at his friends and cousins, and he realized as well that they were willing.

In the trade tongue, Jurge said, "Very well. We travel to the Center of the Vasmar." To his crew, he added, "Help them aboard. It'll be crowded, but we only have a few days of travel."

Finger Commander Krz was quietly pleased that he had kept the bugbears alive. He had insisted on a harsh pace to get the prisoners back to the Fist's encampment near Portsdale, but the larger bugbears were able to keep the pace easily. Almost as soon as Krz had reported to the Fist Commander, several other orcs had converged on the gaol in which the bugbears were kept. As a reward for the capture, Krz was allowed to sit in on the interrogation.

The bugbear leader had scowled and sneered at his orcish captors, but he started talking with little cajoling. The utter contempt he held for the lesser orcish traitors betrayed any military discipline he may have had.

The orc chosen to be the lead interrogator asked, "What are you doing on Oerth."

The bugbear sneered at the impetuous orc. "The Drow Queen dispatched a Fist of bugbears to help her servant, the Baroness Eclavdra. You orcs, despite your numbers were hardly sufficient to ensure the Queen's plans were completed to satisfaction."

"Only a Fist? Certainly, if we orcs were not adequate, she would have more Fists."

"The Baroness only received one Fist for the time being. The Queen has other plans for us, as well."

"Such as?"

"Why would I tell you, traitor?"

"What harm would it be to tell a single Fist of traitorous orcs what the Queen of the Unseelie Court is doing? What do you think a mere Fist of orcs would do to the Queen? Even if we tell the rest of our Tribe, what harm could we do?"

"Indeed," the bugbear agreed. "We seek gates to this world. The Queen wishes to ensure that we are not restricted only to travel to Erelhei Cinlu. That is a single location, and one that's too easy to restrict if the humans learn about it."

"Other gates? All of the bugbears seek other gates?"

"Of course not. We've found many gates, and we are establishing encampments at those gates. It is not as simple as you may think, orc. Gates from the Unseelie Court to this land are rare. Most of our gates connect to the land on the far side of this world. While the Queen is happy to claim that land for herself, she wants to claim the rest of this world as well."

"Truly? Why take this land when she has the lands on the other side?"

"Why do you think, orc? Are you as foolish as you act? The war between the Seelie Court and the Unseelie Court has gone on for generations of elves and drow, for longer than either of our races can remember. They have gained no land from one another, and the Queen tires of this impasse. By taking lands here, she can increase her holdings."

The interrogator smiled, baring sharp teeth. "Thank you, bugbear. I will have more questions for you later, I am sure. Enjoy your stay with the Tree Eaters Tribe."

Once more, it was a dream. Rishala could sense that he was dreaming. Although he knew he was still aboard the Javik longboat racing towards the Center of the Vasmar, he felt that he was somewhere else.

The room had been carved from a gray stone. It was beyond Spartan - there was no furniture, no décor on the walls, not even coverings on the severe gray-white floor. Were it not for the curiously engraved brass door set in the wall, the room would have been completely featureless. The air felt old and stale, as if springtime had not graced it for countless years. It was cool in the room, as well, but there was none of the chill damp of the deep caves around Erelhei Cinlu. The lighting was uniform, with no visible source, as if a Heka light had been diffusely cast throughout the room.

Rishala walked to the door. There was a single round knob in the middle of the door. With an experimental pull, he found that the door opened easily towards him. Beyond the door was a corridor that led to both the left and the right. Rishala went left down the gray, featureless corridor. He stopped almost immediately.

Three short man-like beings stood in the corridor, one in front of and between the other two. They wore pastel robes, but no headscarves. Their heads were bald, with two short, stumpy horns. The eyes were disturbing, golden colored with narrow slits like a cat's. The mouths on the beings were too wide, stretching nearly from one tiny ear to the other.

The lead Merchant smiled disquietingly, showing rows of jagged, sharp teeth. "This is not the way you wish to go, visitor," it suggested.

"You hold no sway over me," Rishala replied calmly.

"In your dream, no. But you are in our Master's home. If he does not wish you here, you shall leave. He is pleased that you hold parts of the Codex safe for him, but that will not give you free reign of his home. What you should see lies down the other corridor."

Rishala contemplated the merchant's statement. He could challenge them, but there was something they wanted him to see. He turned about and followed the corridor. There were a few brass doors along the corridor, but Rishala felt a compulsion to go farther along. None of these doors were the right door.

He stopped at a door no different than any others. It, too, had odd geometric engravings and a knob in the center of it. Rishala pushed the knob, and the door swung open. Beyond was a large, empty room. On the far wall were several brass window frames set deep in the gray stone. Rishala crossed the room to one of the windows. The glass appeared thick, but it was of such a high quality that he could see through it with little distortion.

Beyond the glass was a vast desert of gray sand. Barren mountains jutted in the distance, stark in a harsh sunlight. Stars shined steadily in a black sky above. Sunlight and a black sky?

Hanging in the sky, near the horizon, was a large, strange moon. It was in its waning quarter. What Rishala could see of it was swirls of white over blues and greens. After a few seconds of study, Rishala could recognize features on the orb, features he recognized from a map of Oerth.

Human voices interrupted his revelation.

A man's voice, speaking in Italic-tinged trade tongue, said, "Cappy, we don't even know where we are."

A woman snapped, "Iain, we were supposed to scout the island. We found the gate in the cave, and it opened."

"We're not on the island," Iain protested.

Rishala turned to face the intruders. There were four men and two women in the room, near the door. The man and woman in the lead were talking.

"So?" she retorted. "Look. There are windows. Maybe we can figure out where we are." None of them noticed Rishala.

The woman - she couldn't be twenty yet - went to one of the other windows and peered through.

As she looked, one of the other men wondered, "Do you think this has anything to do with the Codex?"

"What?" Rishala blurted. No one heard him.

Iain replied to the other man, "It could be. It certainly is an odd coincidence, otherwise. Marius, didn't the Merchants say you would learn more if you stuck around?"

"Look at this," the woman at the window insisted.

Her companions joined her at the window.

"Do you recognize the moon?" she asked as they peered out.

"That's Avillonia," Iain stated. "There's the Vasmar, and the Brythomar."

"But how? Where are we?" she wondered.

"Captain, we must be on the moon."

The second man observed, "I guess we know where the Gate took us."

"What else is up here?" the dark-haired young woman asked as she peered through the window. "I think I see other windows. There must be a whole city out there!"

A third man hoped, "There may be some treasure to be found. So far, all we've found are empty rooms."

"I wonder if the Codex explains any of this," Iain mumbled as the intruders left the room.

The dream faded away as Rishala shifted restlessly on the pitching Javik longboat.

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Original Draft 25 April 2006

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