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The story so far...
Elias, a talented but cocky wizard's apprentice set out on a quest given to him by the gods to slay a dangerous beast in the far-off mountains. Accompanying him are Avi and Kole, an impulsive young thief and a powerful but enigmatic swordsman. Together the three of them made their way across the land through many dangers and slew the monster in the mountains. Only to find out that this monstrous dragon was the last thing sealing away the dark god Kordiith and that Elias had been set up by servants of the evil god. Humbled, Elias finds comfort in the beginnings of a new and surprising connection between himself and Kole, his guide. On their travels, the group meets Dain, a youthful and soft-spoken druid from the secretive Verduin Isles. Dain provides the group with insight into Kordiith's plans and purposes. The four of them continue to the city of Calon-Ken, in the kingdom of Calonia, to seek help in fending off the coming darkness. In the process, it is discovered that Kole is actually the low-born son of the Lord Imperator of Calonia. With some convincing, the Lord Imperator agrees to assist in the fight and to wait for reinforcements from the other kingdoms.
Elias's relationship with Kole heats up as the two of them become intimately involved, but then fades again to uncertainty as the gravity of their task occupies them. Avi and Dain begin to notice a shared connection as well, though much more tentative.
At the advice of Dain, the party sets out west for the Verduin Isles to seek the help of perhaps the only other old god said to still commune with his people. Contracting with a grizzly sea captain to cross the treacherous channel, the group puts to sea, leaving the Five Kingdoms behind and hoping that they are moving in the right direction.
Elias of Eradal
Chapter 18
"This isn't some fancy private house boat." The captain told them. Elias found out later that his name was Riley. "This is a working vessel. If you know your way around and you're willing to work, we could use the hands." He looked pointedly at Kole. "If not, do your best to stay out of the way." His gaze swept to Elias, Avi, and Dain.
Much to Elias's embarrassment, he couldn't dispute Captain Riley's sarcastic tone. He had ventured above deck once in the short time they had been asea and almost immediately turned nearly green. The unstable listing of the ship combined with already tumultuous nausea he was facing from his decisions the night before made it impossible for him to remain. Shortly thereafter, Dain and Avi had been brought below as well, apparently for making mischief and bothering the crew. Kole and Captain Riley had followed to give them all a good scolding.
Elias glowered from his position in his bunk but said nothing. The younger boys however looked suitably chastised. Despite his annoyance with this captain's self-importance, Elias wished most of all that he could talk to Kole in private. He wanted to address his embarrassing display and even maybe apologize for some of the things he had said.
The captain departed but Kole lingered behind. He gave Elias a half-smile to which Elias responded with a sour face.
"Come back up when you're feeling better." Kole's voice had a note of sympathy to it. "It's probably best if you two stay down here until we're well on our way." He told Avi and Dain. "Less distractions. Captain Riley has a small library in his quarters." Kole returned his attention to Elias. "I could bring you something to read if you want."
Elias's lip twisted. Was this a gesture of some sort, or was it mere pity? His cynicism led him to think it was the later, but he had misjudged Kole's motives before. Furthermore, he thought without giving a response, there was a topic that he had been hoping to study a bit more before reaching Verduin.
Just as it seemed like Kole was going to turn away leaving his question unanswered, Elias spoke up. "Do you remember the book that Avi found in Amarack's hut? The one about Kordiith?"
Kole nodded with a frown. "Tales of the Five Kingdoms?"
Confirming with a nod of his own, Elias continued. "It is a very popular series. If our `Captain Riley' has any of the volumes, I would be interested to reread them. Particularly the first few books."
It was clear that Kole had not actually expected him to make a request but after a second he shrugged. "I'll see what I can find."
Elias reasoned that, since they were traveling to Verduin with the intent of communing with an old god, he should do his best to brush up on some of the supposed history behind these gods. "Tales of the Five Kingdoms" was certainly not the most scholarly source, but they could be found almost everywhere. Even, it turned out, at sea. Kole returned several minutes later with several of the volumes of the popular series. The first tome was the one that Elias was primarily interested in. Unlike the other books, it was not a collection of myths and stories exactly, but descriptions and depictions of the gods along with information about the tribes that worshiped them. Elias had his doubts about how much of this information was reliable, but he reasoned that something was better than nothing when it came to refreshing his memory.
Skimming the first page or two, Elias did his best to concentrate but was distracted by the feeling of eyes on him. With an exaggerated sigh, he closed the book and looked up to find Avi staring at him curiously from where he sat across the room. Dain had been in the process of whispering something in the younger boy's ear but immediately sat back as if caught in the act of some misdeed.
"What?" Elias demanded, perhaps a little too harshly.
"Wewl..." Avi started sheepishly. "Dain... I mean... we wanna know wots in the book too..."
Elias raised an eyebrow. "And? Do you want me to read it to you?" He asked sarcastically.
Completely missing Elias's tone, Dain nodded slowly and Avi, taking the cue from his companion nodded along. "Will ya?" He asked hopefully.
This caught Elias off guard, but he quickly scolded himself for not anticipating it. Frowning, Elias sighed once more and then opened the book again. "Fine..." He relented grudgingly. "I'll give you the shortened version."
Eagerly, Avi and Dain moved in closer to sit by the bed where Elias was lounging. Telling stories to children was definitely not what Elias had pictured himself doing when he set out. Then again, a great many things had not turned out as he had planned. He flipped through the first pages.
"The first volume is an introduction to the old gods." Elias explained. "It tells a bit about each god and about the people that worshiped them primarily. The first is Wrald."
Elias turned the book around so that his audience could see the elaborate illustration on the opposite page to the text. It depicted a giant of a man, wearing the gleaming armor of a knight and wreathed in a cloak of majestic purple. His grey hair and beard matched the color of his cold hard eyes. On his head was a silver and gold laurel crown beset with purple gemstones. Both of Wrald's hands were perched on the pommel of a massive unsheathed great sword, the point of which rested on the ground between his feet. Behind him was a massive window of stained glass depicting a mighty fortress.
"He is the god of law, order, and justice. Most consider him to be the god that all others answer to. It was supposedly his leadership that ended the first dark age, long before our histories began. Before Kordiith. Even our myths don't go back that far." Elias skimmed the page looking for more details. "The worshipers of Wrald were one of the seven tribes that roamed the lands before the Five Kingdoms were formed. Their lands were some of the most central, and eventually they united under King Calagn the Great, or Calagn I, to become what we now know as Calonia.
Elias paused to see if the two boys had lost interest yet, but to his surprise, they both sat at rapt attention, so he continued. "Next is Erda. She is the goddess of love and fate and is often considered to be the goddess of the sea as well." Again, Elias turned the book to show the picture.
Erda was shown to be a beautiful blonde woman whose age was difficult to pinpoint in the illustration. The dress that she wore was so detailed that it almost seemed to pop off the page. She stood on the beach with her feet in the surf and appeared to be singing to a small crowd.
"She's pret'y..." Avi commented wistfully, gazing at the picture.
Elias nodded. "She was said to have been the most beautiful being in existence. Which, if I remember right, becomes a problem later on. But we'll get to that. The tribe that worshiped Erda loved her so much that when they joined as a Kingdom they kept her name and became Eradal."
Dain said nothing but nodded along thoughtfully. Avi rested his chin in his hands still staring at the lifelike drawing.
"Then of course," Elias turned the page. "We have Cernun." This illustration had a much different tone than the first two. While Erda's picture had been positively vibrant, and even Wrald's illustration held an austere magnificence, Cernun's portrait was much darker and heavily shaded. The background was a deep and foreboding forest. The figure of Cernun himself, though drawn with exceeding talent and attention to detail, could not have been described as beautiful the way the previous pictures were. On his head was a large antlered headdress atop a mane of wild brown hair that shadowed parts of his face. His eyes shone eerie green beneath a heavy brow, and his long brown beard was woven with green thorned vines. Cernun's bare chest was nearly covered in coarse hair, and about his neck the vines within his beard continued down to wrap around his shoulders. As he looked at it, Elias realized it was a very similar pattern to the green markings that Dain had on his neck.
In one hand, Cernun held a massive staff-like branch that forked and knotted several times into a gnarled shape at the top. His other hand wrested on the neck of a massive wolf that stood by his side. The beast's fangs were bared in a terrifying snarl. Even as a mere picture on a page, the depiction of Cernun was unsettling.
"He is the god of growth, and the keeper of time." Elias continued in a more measured tone. "Associated with all things of the earth." He paused, taking a glance at Dain. "He is also considered to be the god of death."
Dain fidgeted and scowled, obviously uncomfortable but not wanting to interrupt. Elias decided to finish before allowing the young Verduin his say.
"He is also the brother of the goddess Erda."
This set Avi off, and the little thief did not have the same qualms about interruption or etiquette. "Wot!?" He demanded in disbelief. "Tha's er bruver?" Shaking his head, Avi made a sour face. "'ow? She's so nice. An' e's so... ugly."
Now, Dain could hold back no longer. "Cernun is not ugly!" He interjected fiercely. "And this picture is... it's... wrong!" He got to his feet and paced a few steps.
This was the most upset that Elias had seen Dain since their second encounter in the mountains, after the discovery that Kordiith would return. Even the missing Gwynoc did not bother him in this same way. That was a quiet sadness or longing, not this fiery anger. Closing the book, Elias set it down next to him.
"Cernun may be the god of death." Dain continued. "But only because he is the god of life as well. There must be both. One can't exist without the other. Cernun is fierce and frightening, but he also is nurturing and protective! Mainlanders do not understand." He threw up a hand in frustration. "And to draw Mahair Moc Chira, the Mother Wolf, to look so... wicked. I never knew that you thought of us this way..."
Avi was immediately bothered by Dain's outburst and stood up to try to comfort him. "We... don't fink of ya like that. Do we, El? I just never seen `im before is all. I'm sorry."
Dain took a deep breath as some of the fire left his eyes. "You... only know what you have been taught. It is not your fault. But it is distressing to see that mainlanders think so fearfully of the father of all things green and growing."
Elias observed the interaction without comment. For his part, he had never given much thought to Cernun, or to the other old gods before having his vision. Even then he had only given it passing consideration, thinking that the vision most likely would have come from Wrald, the keeper of the natural order of things. It wasn't until the second encounter with the sorcerer Amarack that he had started to give serious consideration to these old names. He had been told the stories when he was young, but if he was honest, had not thought at all of Cernun for years before meeting Dain, and he suspected that most "mainlanders" were the same. He wondered if the young Verduin would find that fact better or worse.
"Maybe we'll read more another time." Elias finally spoke up once it seemed like Dain had calmed down. "I'm feeling a bit better and I think I need to stretch my legs."
Avi agreed with this wholeheartedly, and Dain followed, obviously self-conscious about his outburst. It was clear that he was very attached to the beliefs of his people. Elias only hoped that this devoutness was vested in some real power that might help them.
"Ah, you're up." Kole noted when the three emerged into the sunlight. Elias squinted but the brightness did not make him nauseous the way it had earlier that morning. "We're making good time with a strong tailwind. Captain predicts we might shave off half a day if it holds."
Elias made a face, showing off just what he thought of the overconfident captain and his predictions. As he did so, Captain Riley naturally made his appearance behind them.
"You've made it topside I see." The grizzly man laughed. Surprisingly however, the choleric tone and temper he had displayed before seemed to have all but abated. He clapped Elias on the shoulder and gave a familiar squeeze. "We're in good standing now my boy. The wind is with us and nothing but the blue is before us. Can't ask for better." He turned to Avi and Dain. "Would you lot like to see how the rigging works?"
Avi looked around obliviously, but Dain nodded with a bright smile. "Yes sir. We'd like that." Without another word, Riley directed them off to demonstrate the various ropes and pullies that managed the sails of the ship and angled them to best catch the wind.
"Much more agreeable suddenly, isn't he?" Elias asked suspiciously, shrugging off the lingering feeling of the captain's grasp on his shoulder and watching Riley depart.
Kole snorted a laugh, leaning on the rail and gazing out to sea. "He's a sailor. He's not happy on land. His mood shifted almost as soon as we left port."
Joining him and looking out across the ocean, Elias again felt a return of the embarrassment from his words and actions the night before. Elias knew what he had to do, even though it was a painful thought. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat, preparing to apologize.
"Stop." Kole spoke first and Elias could almost hear the eyeroll in his voice. "It's fine."
With a frown, Elias gave the knight a wordless look of confusion.
"Come on." Kole laughed. "You're here looking like someone's just kicked your dog. I know every word you're about to say and I'm telling you that I'm not bothered. I may have been, at the time. Briefly. But we were both in our cups. Some more than others maybe."
Elias raised his eyebrows in surprise but internally felt a sense of relief. He did not know why, but the fact that Kole could read him so easily did not disturb him the way that it might have some time ago, instead it felt oddly comforting.
"You're a bit of a prick, Elias Valern." Kole turned to look at him finally. "But you're an ok prick. Deep, deep... deep down."
It was Elias's turn to roll his eyes. He scoffed and turned away, looking out toward where he imagined Verduin must be.
"And..." Kole continued, casting a look over his shoulder to make sure no one was nearby. "You're not bad for eye candy, but it might just be these long days and nights at sea talking."
Immediately, Elias felt his face flush red and he looked to the deck. "Are all knights so boorish?" He tried to sound dismissive but was defeated by an embarrassing voice crack.
Chuckling, Kole leaned in closer. "Only the handsomest ones..." He moved in until he was less than a foot from Elias's face.
This was more than Elias could handle. He could feel the bright flush from his shoulders to the top of his head. Turning away, he coughed and cleared his throat. "I think..." He kept himself angled away from Kole so the young knight could see less of his embarrassment. "That I might have come up too early. I am still a bit... out of sorts." Elias forced another cough. "Perhaps I should go below again for a while."
Kole leaned away but didn't seem offended. In fact, Elias distinctly saw a confident smirk dart across his angular features before those amber-gold eyes returned to the sea, as though Elias was no longer there.
"Do come back when you're feeling better." Kole commented with no discernable emotion. "I'll be here."
The young wizard practically ran below deck. He briefly thought of cooling some water to near freezing and dunking his head in, just to clear his mind. It frustrated him deeply that Kole could get him so flustered within a very short turn of the conversation. But why?
Elias reached the relative safety of the bunk he had used before and lay there to collect his thoughts. It offered no amount of seclusion or privacy, but it was his own tiny space for the moment; besides, all of the sailors were above deck aside from the small crew that manned the ship overnight, all of whom were presumably asleep.
Staring up at the overhead bunk, Elias couldn't stop himself from wondering why he was feeling this way. He and Kole had been intimate together in Calon-Ken, obviously he couldn't deny that. However, Elias had spent many nights alone convincing himself that it had been more like a transaction than a serious encounter. Since childhood he had imagined himself completing his wizard training at age twenty, then returning to his parents' estate to be set up with the highest-ranking noblewoman that a prodigy such as himself might expect.
These unfamiliar feelings had been easier to ignore when he was able to reason them away as a simple fascination. The lower-class brute had a certain primitive draw, even to an intellectual like himself. Now though, he was continually reminded that Kole was to Calonia what a lower prince might be to Eradal. The Lord-Imperator functioned similarly to a king, and Elias knew now that, by every measurement, Kole outranked him.
Turning on his side in frustration, Elias's brown furrowed. The realization of Kole's nobility had not made him more attractive as Elias originally thought. It only made the attraction that had existed before harder to explain away. Thinking back to the first night they had shared a bed in that little tavern in Elkhollow, when Elias thought of Kole as nothing more than his guide, some part of him wished for that ignorance. Knowing made things more complicated.
Through his training, Elias had known other boys in apprenticeship that had pursued girls relentlessly. All throughout, he assumed that his disinterest came from his devotion to his studies. Certainly he had quickly outpaced all these other apprentices, but maybe the two were not entirely related. In more recent years, Elias had mostly put it out of his mind entirely. Some part of him just guessed that when the time came for him to wed, the desire would arise with it. Laying now on his bunk, Elias realized how idiotic that sounded, but he had simply never allowed himself to dwell on it before.
Had these suppressed interests been there all along? Looking back, Elias began to wonder. There had been subtle tells and urges before. As he reflected on his young life, he realized that all of these instinctive drives to `get closer' to any person had been towards other boys or men. None of the girls or women he had spent time with had affected him in the same way.
"... gods..." Elias whispered to himself as understanding dawned. When he had first known about Kole's preferences, he had accepted it in stride. In the Kingdom of Eradal such things were not uncommon, if still a topic of gossip in high conversation. The thought that he himself though had the same interests... Was it genetic imperfection? Obviously not, since he and Kole both came from noble lineage. Was it unnatural upbringing? That did not fit either. Both of them apparently came from nurturing and "normal" families that attended to their needs. All of this rattled around in Elias's formulaic brain, trying to piece together a conclusion.
No matter which way he tried to shuffle to cards, his hand came out the same. Elias huffed and turned over on his bed. It was clear that he had feelings for Kole. Strong ones. He had learned that sometimes youth could cloud judgement on matters like this, but... Elias felt that he was more in control of himself than most young men his age. He was the exception. If these feelings were just a flight of youthful fancy, then he should be able to easily ignore them.
It was a long period of self-reflection that Elias spent staring at the underside of the top bunk above him. He could still feel the sway of the hull underneath him, but it did not upset his stomach the way that it had earlier in the day. Now it was almost a tempting rocking that threatened to lull him into sleep if he stayed in the bunk too much longer.
As he considered the costs and benefits of once again showing his face above deck, an unexpected sound reached him. It was rhythmic and musical in a way that was unfamiliar to Elias. However, the slow and regular beat perked his ears. It was oddly droning, yet also unique and melodic, drawing him out of his brooding.
Rising from the bunk, Elias followed the sound out of the sleeping quarters. Slowly he mounted the steps to the top deck once more. As the sea wind touched his face again, and the sight of endless immaculate blue on all sides greeted him, the sound he had heard started to make sense.
One... Two... Thump... One... Two... Thump... One... Two... Thump. The sailors kept time with a stamp of a foot, a slap of a hand, a pound of a fist as they worked to keep the sails aligned with the wind, or waited for their turn to do so. The tune was known to all of them, and most of them hummed along, creating a low baritone buzz across the whole deck.
The song was sung to a tune that Elias had heard countless times before. It was an old children's song in Eradal. The familiarity made him shiver with nostalgia, though the words had been changed and were strange to him. When the chorus came around though, he was surprised to hear a young voice join in enthusiastically.
"Heel ye' ho boys! Let er go boys! Swing er head round into the weather! Heel ye' ho boys! Let `er go boys! Sailin' home now to Eradal!"
Looking to the upper deck, Elias saw that it was of course Avi that had joined in the old sailor song. They were not sailing homeward, and they all knew it, yet somehow the repetition of the chorus brought to Elias a beautiful longing. It was silly of course, they had only been asea for under a dozen hours, but Avi's clear if slightly flat soprano inspired a sense of determination even in these seasoned sailors.
As each of the crew tended to his duties, many of them took a verse. Some seemed to be lines that were already well known amongst the sailors, while others were obviously made up on the spot. Heartfelt verses about family left on shore in places all around the Five Kingdoms, not just Eradal. This was when Elias realized that, although they had only set sail that morning, many of these men had not seen their home port in months.
When Avi added his voice to the chorus, while sitting on the edge of the top deck and swinging his legs gleefully, Elias could tell that many of the sailors were listening instead to the voices of their own sons or daughters, or the ones that were waiting for them. It was a striking moment as he steadied himself against the rail. This ship, the Lady of Loften, was a cross section of all the Five Kingdoms. These were the people they were fighting for. The sailors here had no idea what was to come. They all had lives and families they were longing to return to. Hearing the verses they each contributed to this powerful melody made Elias want for nothing more than to make sure they all had a home to return to eventually.
"Come on." Kole broke him out of his trance abruptly. Elias had not noticed him approach from the higher deck. "Up here, you can hear better, and you can still catch a glimpse of the coast."
When the big man offered a hand to Elias to steady him on stairs to the higher deck, Elias did not refuse. Chalking it up to the sentimentality of the moment, he allowed himself to be helped up to the stern of the ship. Kole guided him toward the back of the ship and directed his gaze northeast over the bow.
"It's the last we'll see of the mainland for a while, I imagine." Kole told him, pointing out at the diminishing coastline. The sunset was behind them, reflecting off the water, making Eradal harder and harder to see. Viewing it from this distance, Elias felt a sudden pang of homesickness. That scrap of land that he was looking at from afar was his scrap of land. Maybe he didn't own it, but it was a part of him. In all his years of studying in other kingdoms, nothing had ever brought him this ache for home in quite the same way as seeing it fading slowly away, knowing that there was a darkness coming that he wasn't sure he could stop.
Elias's face grew hot, and he clenched his brow tight in a frown, turning away from the view. Away from Kole. It wouldn't do to let anyone see him so sentimental.
"Let `er go boys!" Avi sang, carefree and joyful from the other side of the deck. "Sailin' home now to Eradal!"
It was too much. Avi's happy innocence, the sailors' determined resolution, Kole's stoic silence, and all of Eradal and the Five Kingdoms fading into nothing behind him. All of it was ending because of him. And what could he, a seventeen-year-old boy, hope to do to stop it?
The unwelcome feeling began with rapid uneven breathing. Elias whirled and caught himself on the rail of the ship, even now trying to play it off as simple seasickness. He tried to force a fake smile, to make it look like it was all okay. He was not just another wizard's apprentice. He was Elias Valern of Eradal. This was just another challenge. He gritted his teeth. It was just another test...
Elias began to shake his head slowly as he knew he was losing this fight. His fingernails dug angrily into the wood of the railing and his whole body started to tremble. Without warning, the tears fell in great waves as he stared out to sea at his home, slowly disappearing.
His shoulders shook, his breath caught, and his eyes streamed, but even still he made no sound aside from his irregular breathing. The sailors sang on, oblivious.
Kole's heavy hand clamped on his far shoulder, shepherding him in closer. Elias wanted to step away. He did not want or deserve to be comforted in this way. Yet almost as soon as he felt the strong knight's touch, he nearly collapsed against the rail of the ship, his silent sobs shaking his whole body.
It was his fault. Nothing anyone could say or do would ever change that. Why shouldn't he just throw himself overboard right now?
The grip on his shoulder tightened, but Kole said nothing. Elias felt the warmth of Kole's strong chest up against his opposite shoulder and he shivered, shaking his head again. Ashamed of his own weakness, he made a feeble attempt to break away but Kole held him firmly. Neither of them spoke, yet somehow Elias knew that Kole could read him and understand this sudden outburst. Maybe he was the only one in all the Five Kingdoms that could. Instinctively, Elias relented and let his head roll gently into Kole's shoulder.
The comfort of the powerful arm around his shoulders and the warmth of Kole against his face caused him to breathe deep and sniffle as the tears finally slowed. Words were not necessary, just the strong physical presence was enough to hold him back from the edge. The deadly grip of icy despair loosened its grip, and he sighed as his body shook once more, this time with relief. Almost immediately however, Elias became self-conscious, suddenly aware of those around them. As his mind broke free of the mire of darkness he straightened his back and cleared his throat, loosing himself from Kole's grip.
"Ahem..." Elias's face went red as he looked down at the rail. The hypnotic song continued behind them and, though strangely beautiful, it no longer had the same wrenching impact that it had less than a minute ago. The moment had passed, but Elias knew that he had been only seconds away from a complete breakdown. "I..." He started quietly, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve. "I am fine." He insisted, although no one had asked. Turning to look at Kole, he could only hold the gaze for a brief moment before looking down again, but it was enough to feel the connection between them. "Thank you..."
One corner of Kole's mouth turned upward. He extended a hand to place on Elias's shoulder, but then, looking around he snorted a laugh and dropped his arm back to his side. The tall knight offered Elias a secret smile but said nothing as he turned back to look out toward the horizon.
Elias blinked several times, composing himself and feeling the embarrassment truly set in. Finally, he cleared his throat, scrubbing the last of the tears from his eyes with one hand and straightening his jacket with the other. "Apologies. I think I will... check on Dain. He was upset earlier."
"Good idea." Kole agreed. Before Elias could depart however, Kole caught him by the shoulder, spinning him gently around to look him in the eye. "You're doing everything you can. And you're the only one who can." He reminded quietly.
Blinking again, Elias dropped his gaze to the deck. Squaring his shoulders, he nodded briefly before turning and heading back below. By the time he had reached the lower deck, his aloof mask had settled firmly back into place.
Dain was seated against one of the rails at the bow of the ship, staring out to the sky in the west, the direction of his home, and listening to the song silently. When he notice Elias approach, he stood and inclined his head.
"I wanted to apologize." The young Verduin spoke first. "My anger was not necessary."
Elias shook his head. "It is important to you." After his episode moments ago, he found himself feeling more considerate than usual. "The gods are not often a large part of the lives of people in the Five Kingdoms. We do not venerate them the way that the Verduin Isles do. And so, our stories are perhaps, less lofty than yours might be." He explained.
Nodding, Dain's mouth twisted in a frown. "I thought maybe that was the reason. But maybe that is why the mainland gods have disappeared. With no one to worship them, maybe they moved on to other peoples in other parts of the world.
It was not the first time that Elias had heard a theory like this one, but in the light of what he knew now he had to consider it more seriously. Which came first, the gods' disappearance, or the people's casual attitude toward them? Eventually, all he could do was shrug. "It is possible, I suppose. Still, if it caused offense then I apologize. I won't read aloud from the book anymore."
"No." Dain responded too quickly, then blushed a bit. "I was... rather enjoying it. And I know that Avi was as well. Maybe another time?" His gaze darted away as a sheepish smile touched his face.
Elias let himself smile slightly as well. "Another time then." He agreed.
The trip across the channel proceeded uneventfully for the next twenty-four hours or so. Elias realized that life at sea could be quite boring. Late in the morning of the next day however, through a dense fog, a massive wall of rock appeared on the horizon ahead of them.
"There it is." Captain Riley muttered. "The cliffs of TorMaght, the biggest of the Verduin Isles. Look lively!" He called out to his crew. "The waters might look fine now but there's rocks down there that'll pull the hull right out from under us."
As they drew closer, Elias saw what the captain meant. Jagged tips of rocks protruded just above the water's surface, dotting the endless blue with specks of deadly black. As he looked up at the sheer cliff face ahead of them with waves dashing themselves on the unforgiving rock, Elias thought that this certainly did not look like the beautiful homeland that Dain had described. The first impression was almost as unwelcoming as the swamps where they fought Amarack.
Captain Riley manned the helm personally, humming softly to himself, but Elias could tell he was concentrating fiercely. The sails were trimmed, and the ship moved at a crawl through the dangerous waters. Some of the crew leaned over the sides, watching carefully for submerged threats.
"Once we pass those two big ones," Captain Riley pointed to two large spire-like rocks off to one side and some distance ahead. "We have to swing hard to port to avoid the cliffs. After that we're in the clear."
It took several hours of tense and slow plodding. Despite Riley's gruff and arrogant nature when they had first met, now that Elias saw just how dangerous this approach was, he was grateful that they had chosen the right man for the job. Eventually they slid past the large rock spires, close enough that Elias was sure he could have reached out and touched the nearest one if he had wanted to.
As soon as they were clear, Captain Riley jerked the helm hard and the ship responded to his command, turning slowly westward. Elias winced as he saw the edge of the cliff getting closer and closer. Riley called for the sails which unfurled to catch the wind and eventually bore them away from the harsh face of the island.
Elias let out a sigh and Kole gave the captain an approving nod. "Where to we put to shore?" Kole asked.
Breathing deeply with the worst of the danger behind them, Captain Riley pointed ahead. "There's a strip of land ahead that's safe enough. It's a bit of a steep climb but I've been told there's a way up from there."
"There is." Dain interjected, appearing from the lower deck. "I did not think that any mainlanders knew of this shore."
Riley chuckled. "There aren't many, I'd wager. It's why I'm the best at what I do."
By the time the Lady of Loften was able to safely navigate to the narrow strip of lowland and the four companions were able to disembark with their horses, it was nearly nightfall. Setting foot on dry land felt odd even after only being asea for a couple of days. Captain Riley waved them off and wished them the best after Kole paid him the rest of what he was owed and the small boats they had used to come ashore turned back toward the ship.
Dain could hardly keep the smile from his face as he knelt down to touch the rocky beach of his homeland. Seeing his excitement, Elias recalled the conversation he had had with Kole about the possibility of Verduin already being overrun. He decided it was time to share these concerns with their travelling companions. Giving Kole a knowing look it seemed like the big knight had come to the same conclusion.
Since there was no chance of making the steep trek up from the beach in the dark with the horses in tow, they decided to make a small camp at the base of the cliff. The wind coming off the sea was chilly, but they were able to scrounge up enough dry material to put together a modest fire with the help of a little bit of magic.
As they settled in, Dain began telling Avi about all of the things he wanted to show him. "Wait until you see the view from the top of Mount Kilaren! And the falls of Ranrow!" Avi was grinning excitedly along with his friend and Elias almost hated to bring down the mood.
Clearing his throat to get their attention, he started slowly. "Kole and I have been thinking that... perhaps it would be best to proceed with great caution while we are here. At least for now."
Dain's face immediately fell but he did not comment. It was clear that he had entertained similar thoughts but had been determined to ignore them. Avi however frowned in confusion.
"Why?" He asked curiously.
"Tactically," Kole picked up where Elias had left off. "If Kordiith's forces are mobilized already, it would make sense if he decided to strike here first. Verduin is the only place that still really believes in the old gods. The only place that might be prepared for his return. Getting them out of the picture first..." He trailed off, giving Dain a sympathetic look.
Shaking his head, Dain's face hardened. "No. Even if we were attacked, we would..." he swallowed a lump in his throat. "They couldn't move an army across without us knowing." His voice was uncertain though.
"I'm sure you're right." Kole placated. "Even so though, we should be cautious. It can't hurt to prepare for the worst."
Setting his mouth in a tight line, Dain eventually nodded. Even though he did not want to contemplate what Elias and Kole had said, and even though he wished to disregard the possibility, he was smart enough to see the wisdom in the suggestion. "We will go with care. No enemies will detect us on my homeland while I guide us."
Avi rested his head on Dain's shoulder comfortingly. Elias pulled up his bedroll, preparing for sleep. None of them could predict Kordiith's plan. If the dark god had sent his entire force to Verduin, surely they would have left none alive. He did not want to imagine Dain's reaction if this proved to be the case. That was a problem to face in the future though. For now, the best he could do was try to sleep and hold out hope that there was still help to be found on the Verduin Isles.