The Q'Herindam Read online

  “No doubt, but I couldn’t see it. Mighty fine piece of work if I do say so. Finest sword I ever clapped eyes on and a dwarf didn’t make it. Could I look at the Dagger too?”

  Arwhon drew it from its sheath and it to was rippling with fire. When he took the blade in his hand to pass it to Ironfist hilt first, a shock ran up his arm and he flinched, nearly dropping the Dagger. Ironfist took it from him quickly and examined it closely as Arwhon tried to come to grips with what had just occurred.

  “This Dagger, and the Ring you wear were once the property of the Dwarves. They disappeared long, long ago. It is said they were stolen from the place they were held and sold for red gold by a renegade dwarf. No matter. The Ring wanted out and probably bent the dwarf’s mind to do so. He’s long dead and the gold spent many times now. So the Ring and Dagger found you. When they did we knew instantly the Ring had found what legend says it wanted. A True being. It doesn’t matter if you are Man, it could have been any of the races in or under the lands.”

  Ironfist handed the Dagger back to Arwhon, hilt first.

  “You still haven’t answered my question. What is it you want from us?”

  Arwhon knew he had to give a straight answer or he would try the King’s patience.

  “I would like to go to Durhain’s Cave.”

  There was an intake of breath from Silverseam who until now had sat quietly while the business was conducted. Ironfist glanced in his direction before turning his gaze back on Arwhon.

  “How do you know of Durhain’s Cave?”

  Arwhon’s explanation involved the story Ch’ron told him, which took a while to relate, after which they all had a comfort break. On his return, led back into the King’s presence by a servant, Arwhon found yet more food had been placed on the table during his brief absence. The King handed him his sheathed sword.

  “I’ve made a decision. You are to meet with the Mage and he will take you to Durhain’s Cave but only he can accompany you. Silverseam will remain in Dwarfholme until you return. I’m sure his parents will be happy to see him. Copperlink is my brother you know.”

  He gave Arwhon a wink.

  “Which makes this little fellow my nephew. He’s always getting into some sort of mischief. Arwhon, you’ll stay here for sleeping time and in the morning, after breakfast, Silverseam will take you to the Mage’s abode. Be careful. He’s a crusty old dwarf and he doesn’t like Man. There will be no one around to protect you if he takes umbrage. How you handle our Mage will also help me measure you. Now eat up and tell me more of your deeds. I love a good story.”

  They ate and drank for many hours while Arwhon told tales of happenings which had passed. Ironfist thought the Sealies were amazing. Too soon it was time for sleep and as Arwhon curled up on the cushioned sleeping platform under his Darkwood cloak, he thought of Shiri, Krissi, Duran and Cringle, his new Servant.

  Tomorrow he would meet the Dwarf Mage.

  3. The Isle of Wyalon.

  Jalwynd heeled over as yet another blustering gust of wind hit her port side. Captain Belmar’s brow furrowed as he felt his ship’s annoyance at the nature of the storm. It was his ‘knack’ which allowed him to feel the moods of his vessel and he loved her more than the ocean itself.

  It was a strange relationship. Jalwynd was the first ship Captain Belmar had owned completely, moving up from shares in other vessels to eventually owning one outright. She was a three-masted barque used for coastal trading, not quite the sort of ship one would take into the open ocean. Oh, she was sturdy enough but a little beamy for cutting through the big swells. Belmar was Jalwynd’s third owner. He had found the ship in a state of disrepair, her previous owner bankrupted by his own laziness and incompetence. Jalwynd was sitting in the harbour at Encarill, her rigging worn and tattered and her stained sails hanging limply, neither furled nor cared for. The minute Belmar had stepped on board for his inspection, the good Captain had felt Jalwynd’s salty tears of distress and immediately knew he had to help the ship.

  It took letters of reference from businessmen with whom he Traded plus a sizeable down payment, before the Mariners Guild would lend him the remainder of the price he had negotiated. No matter, Captain Belmar signed every piece of paper put in front of him and eventually Jalwynd was his.

  He had her dry docked immediately and with the nucleus of his present crew, scraped years of neglect from her hull; barnacles, seaweed and small marine creatures hiding amongst it. Underneath the fouling he was pleased to see her timbers were as sound as the day she was launched. Her hull was made from solid Solken wood, prohibitively expensive to buy as it only grew high on the slopes of Mehgrin’s Wall and took hundreds of years to reach usable size. Its wood was proof against almost anything in the seas and Belmar realised he had found himself a real bargain. Before she went back into the water, all the caulking was checked and replaced where necessary. He could feel her sigh of relief as Jalwynd felt the caress of salty water again when she was eventually refloated.

  After the hull, it was a matter of thoroughly cleaning the ship from top to bottom and replacing all worn sheets and then refurbishing some of the sails. By the time Captain Belmar had finished the final coat of paint, Jalwynd looked a different vessel altogether. In no time at all he was hired to carry cargo and Jalwynd proved to be a lively handful and a good vessel to sail. Belmar did well over the years, paying off his debts and even travelling as far as Cheshwon on one occasion but never did he stray too far from the coast.

  Now he was somewhere out in the Wyalonian Ocean, hopefully nearing the island of Wyalon itself. Problem was, the only charts he could find showed the island to be in a different place on each one.

  “Knows where we be Cap’n?” Jeffen the helmsman asked from his place behind the wheel, gripping the spokes tightly with twisted hands, misshapen from his many years at the helm.

  “Aye, I know where we be but I don’t know exactly where the Fate be cursed island is. The charts aren’t accurate.”

  “Bain’t be a good time to find that out mind,” Jeffen replied laconically.

  The Captain agreed wholeheartedly.

  Kuiran’s head bobbed into view, followed by his giant body as he climbed the stair to the poop deck. They’d had to make a bed for him in one of the holds as he was too large to fit below decks without crawling. He towered nearly twice as tall as the Captain but was still deferential to him. Belmar figured if they lost the foremast, they could probably use the staff Kuiran carried everywhere to replace it.

  “Morning Captain. Bit brisk today.”

  “Same as yesterday and the day before Kuiran. How’s Raleen doing?”

  “Fine, she’s not as used to boats as her brothers but she’s coping. Its being out of touch with land which is a bit of a problem for her. She’s weakening a little.”

  Kuiran seemed unconcerned but the Captain heard the slight edge to his voice and knew Raleen was not doing well. They needed to find the island of Wyalon soon. For all their sakes.

  “The charts we have aren’t too accurate Kuiran. A single island out here can be difficult to find. If we don’t make landfall soon lad, we’ll have to turn back.”

  Kuiran looked dismayed.

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re runnin’ out of fresh water and fresh food. Too long eating hard tack makes a body sick and I won’t put my crew in harm’s way.”

  Kuiran sat down on the deck, his back to the wind and thought hard. There must be a way to find Wyalon. It was there. Somewhere. Fairly close if he knew Belmar. He sat immobile, thinking and over the next hour the wind dropped. Jalwynd stopped heeling and settled into the water, accepting the caress of the ocean. Without warning, Kuiran jerked up straight and jumped to his feet. Captain Belmar looked around in alarm but there was nothing to see.

  “Stop the boat Captain. I’ve thought of something.”

  “Are you serious Kuiran, it’ll take us a quite a while to get under way again if I do.”

  Kuiran was excited about something, whic
h was a little unusual for the big man, so Belmar yelled to the Mate and gave his orders. Sails were furled one after the other in quick succession until every scrap of canvas on Jalwynd was rolled up neatly. The ship was a little put out by this manoeuvre but Captain Belmar was curious as to what Kuiran had come up with.

  “I’m such a fool. The answer was there all the time. I just forgot in all the excitement.” Kuiran muttered to himself as he went down on to the main deck and thrust his staff into the water, holding it by one end. He stood like that for quite a while and Belmar was beginning to wonder if Kuiran had been drinking seawater and gone a little queer in the head when out of the blue of the ocean swell, a seal’s head bobbed up.

  The Captain was a little astonished but even more so when the seal spoke.

  “Ssso nice to sssee you Kuiran. I wasss wondering when you would sssummon me.”

  “Hello Ssarista, thank you for coming so quickly. We have a problem. We cannot find the Island of Wyalon.”

  Seeing a seal laugh, which looks and sounds like a cat trying to bring up a furball is a most unusual thing and Captain Belmar crept closer to Kuiran to make sure what he was seeing was really happening. The good Captain had sat and shared a drink with Arwhon and Shiri and heard of the defeat of the Draakon Reavers by the Sealie. He had also seen the changes in Arwhon over the time he’d known the lad but didn’t realise Kuiran was also gifted.

  Ssarista’s mirth was contagious but soon subsided as she spoke seriously.

  “You cannot find the Island of Wyalon becaussse it doesssn’t want to be found. You have passsed it twice.”

  Captain Belmar blinked rapidly, shook his head and plucking up courage asked Ssarista a question of his own.

  “Then how can we set eyes on it?”

  “Ah, the Captain ssspeaksss. You have done well Captain. Come asss clossse as any Man to Wyalon but you cannot sssee it ssstill. Kuiran will come with me and lead you. Once in the water, he will know where Wyalon issss. It isss in hisss blood.”

  Captain Belmar was about to remind Kuiran that immersion in cold ocean water would be fatal after a few hours but wasn’t prepared for Kuiran’s reaction.

  “Of course Ssarista. How could I be so dumb? Could you wait a moment please while I get Raleen? She needs to know where I am and I would like her to look after my staff.”

  Ssarista lazily waved a flipper and rolled onto her back while Kuiran ran to the doorway he couldn’t fit through and called for Raleen to come up on deck. It took a few moments for her to appear and when she did Belmar found himself concerned by how pale she had become but Raleen didn’t behave as if she were ill. Kuiran explained what he was about to do and Raleen took it all in, finally giving Kuiran a long loving kiss of approval.

  Next thing, Kuiran handed her his staff and started to get undressed. Captain Belmar thought it odd but said nothing, merely watched as the clothes came off. Once Kuiran was naked, he gave Raleen a final kiss and dove straight over the side of Jalwynd.

  What followed would be forever etched into Captain Belmar’s memory. Through the clear blue water he observed Kuiran’s transformation into a very large male seal which came up to the surface spitting seawater and laughing gleefully. Ssarista circled him as Kuiran Sealie spoke to the Captain.

  “I can feel the Island pulling me toward it. We are not far from it. Follow me Captain; we should be there by dark.”

  Sails were raised and Kuiran Sealie swam off to starboard. Belmar turned to Jeffen.

  “I’m going up to the bow. It looks like we’ll be runnin’ afore the wind. Steer in the direction I point.”

  “Aye Cap’n.”

  Jalwynd was happy. Wind astern, sails full and the seas smoother at last. She surged forward, straining to make better speed and all the time Belmar kept his eyes on Kuiran Sealie and waved directions to Jeffen. The crew had caught on to what was happening and a number were up in the rigging watching the giant seal frolicking with a smaller one in the water ahead.

  Suddenly, the air around them wavered, splintering the light and Jalwynd shivered momentarily. Captain Belmar gasped as a huge mountainous land mass suddenly appeared before them.

  Wyalon.

  They had arrived at last.

  Dusk was setting in and Captain Belmar didn’t want to chance sailing in uncharted waters looking for a seaport, so with one of his crew posted to Jalwynd’s bows, keeping an eye on the depth of the water, he took his ship into a small, deep cove with a white sandy beach.

  “Drop anchor lads,” he called out. “We’ll get a couple of picks into this island to make sure its still here in the morning.”

  With the Jalwynd sitting snug and enough room to swing on her anchors with the tides, everyone relaxed. There was a small cheer when Kuiran Sealie was lifted from the water in a net and changed back to human form as he was winched aboard. A ration of grog was broken out and the crew had a small celebration at making landfall at last. The Captain posted a watch but clouds covered the moons and the night was very dark.

  They slept well.

  As the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, everyone on board was woken by a loud hail.

  “You on the ship. Show yourselves.”

  Captain Belmar quickly dressed and shot up to the main deck to peer toward the shore. Some of his crew were already up and looking apprehensively toward the beach where a squad of soldiers stood in three ranks. They weren’t quite as big as Kuiran but every one of them was still a formidable size. The leader wore a polished helm with red plumes and it was he who addressed them.

  “Who’s the Captain of this vessel? Show yourself.”

  Belmar grabbed a sheet for balance and stood up on the rail.

  “That would be me Sir. What can I do for you?”

  “It is illegal for strangers to come to this Isle under pain of death. You will proceed to Sanctuary’s harbour where you will tie up. There you will be met by an escort and all of you taken into custody to await your trial.”

  Belmar thought hard for a moment.

  “What’s to stop us turning around and leaving?”

  A slightly smaller man, dressed in loose clothing, appeared from behind the ranks of soldiers and answered Belmar’s question.

  “Me. Unfortunately for you, I’m capable of stopping you and destroying your ship while I’m at it. Believe me; the Mages of Wyalon have great power. Now sail your ship south until you see the harbour then enter it. I’ll watch from land and if there is any funny business, you will be destroyed where you sit on the water.”

  Belmar had no reason to doubt this strange Mage’s authority. The man gave him the creeps. He issued orders and the anchors were hauled up and a few sails set to move them slowly out of the cove until they could set a couple more. Jeffen turned Jalwynd south and off they sailed, all the while keeping an eye on the coast off to port where the squad of soldiers marched along a path on the top of the low cliffs, following the Mage.

  It took nearly four hours of sailing to reach the harbour of Sanctuary. Four hours of discussions, plans, ideas and sometimes fancy but there was nothing the Captain, crew, Kuiran or Raleen could come up with to solve their problem. Around twenty armed guards were waiting for them when Jalwynd was finally berthed, led by an officer who came on board without asking permission of the Captain. He was slightly more pleasant than the squad leader who had addressed them earlier that morning and directed his speech to the little man in the ornate frock coat.

  “It is very unusual to have a foreign ship find us but Wyalon is off limits to all strangers. You and your crew, and any passengers you may have must come with us to the prison block until your hearing.”

  Captain Belmar drew himself up, stuck his chest out and replied.

  “I cannot leave my ship unguarded and without a skeleton crew aboard her.”

  The officer walked over to Belmar and loomed over him.

  “Dead or alive. You all come off this ship.”

  No argument was possible so the entire crew assembled on
deck as Raleen came up from below and Kuiran climbed out of the hold, dressed in his mail hauberk and clutching his staff. The officer backed up a couple of paces. Kuiran stood taller than him.

  “We don’t want any trouble, put the staff down.”

  “I cannot Sir. It contains my birthright. See, the metal caps on the ends, it is all I have of my family. Besides, I’m from Wyalon and claim the right to be here on the Island along with my future wife and the people who brought me.”

  Raleen shot him a strange look but Kuiran merely smiled.

  “Crossbowmen ready,” shouted the officer.

  Kuiran’s smile vanished and was replaced by the stubborn look Raleen knew so well. He looked the officer up and down then contemptuously threw his staff over the side of Jalwynd into the harbour. It sank like a stone.

  “Is that down enough for you,” he exclaimed.

  The officer merely pointed toward the wharf but Kuiran tried again.

  “I tell you, I’m from Wyalon. This is no way to treat one of your own.”

  The officer snorted.

  “As I said, makes no difference if I deliver you dead or alive but you’d better move if you don’t want dead.”

  They all trooped down the gangplank and Kuiran was near to last to descend. As he set foot on the docks he tried again.

  “I can prove it.”

  “Move.”

  Kuiran was past his limit of patience and shoving two guards out of the way, sprinted for the water. He leapt off the dock to a shouted curse from the officer and hit the water with a loud splash. He became Kuiran Sealie and the mail and clothes he wore slid off his seal form. To his astonishment Kuiran found Ssarista waiting for him. He heard her words in his head again.

  “Welcome to Wyalon Kuiran. Not quite the welcome you expected. Don’t worry. All the Sealie now know of your exploits and your efforts to stop the evil on your land. We will help you. Please do not do anything rash and by tomorrow things will be different. I promise.”

  Then she vanished. Not swam away. Vanished.

  Kuiran Sealie made his way to the surface and looked up at the docks where the officer and his guards were staring at the water. Kuiran Sealie spoke to them.