“That will slow us down,” Porgo stated while I slipped out of my wet small clothes, looked back to the two men, and pulled on my one dry set of underlinen before pulling on some light trousers and a billowy top that had been provided for me by the ambassador’s staff.

  “Yes, we know, but there is no help for it. We cannot in good faith subject Pasil to such tumultuous nights.”

  “Mainlanders. Soft as a baby’s bottom and smell just as foul,” the captain snarled and stormed off mumbling under his breath in Sandrayan. Cursing me, my lineage, and my stench, I had no doubt.

  Teryn huffed out a little breath, turned to me in my Sandrayan garb, and nodded in appreciation.

  “Our clothing looks good on you. Come, let us eat a light meal before we set off once more.”

  Eating a light meal sounded no more appealing than chewing on the barnacle-encrusted bottom of this blighted boat, but an army was only as strong as the food in its gut. And so I sat on the floor, nibbling at dark desert flatbreads, slices of cactus pears, and sipping the red tea that Teryn so loved.

  The light meal eased the final fingerlings of a headache away and eased the acid in my gut. Even though we were in a timid tidal pool, something deep inside me could feel the boat moving. Knowing we would set out soon with magical winds filling the sail did not fill me with glee. Just the opposite. I would happily trade a week in the saddle for one horrible night on the sea. Pity the dragons had been eradicated. A winged beast that soared over the vast seas would be perfect. Not that any elf had ever ridden the mighty lizards of old…

  Ribald laughter broke into my daydreams. I glanced from the remaining bite of bread in my hand to my companion. Teryn looked at me, his eyes mirthful.

  “Ah, sorry, that was rude. We shall speak in mainlander,” he said just as Porgo shifted around on his pillow, sharp green-blue eyes settling on me. “We forget at times. Please, Porgo, continue with your tale.”

  “It’ll lose its momentum and humor having to tell it in that flat mainlander speak, but if you insist, Mahouk,” the captain said. Teryn nodded once. “Well, I had come round and found myself in the middle of a foursome of buxom barmaids with only my left sandal, a salted cod, and the bells of an exotic dancer on my fingers. Unsure of where I had been or who I had done, I gave the girls a wink and began to shake my cock in time to the bells.”

  I chuckled at the picture of the beefy elf in the blue skirt rolling his hips as the court dancers of the vahasi are rumored to do. I’d never seen them perform as their dance was too sensual for our royal courtiers. Pity. I enjoyed seeing a pretty maid. My sight darted to Teryn. I also enjoyed viewing a pretty man. The term pretty seemed lacking for a stunning male such as Teryn.

  Porgo rubbed his hands on his bare belly, stood, and stretched. “The moon sisters are about to rise. We will set sail momentarily.”

  I nodded, swallowing down some tepid tea as the captain strolled to the rear of the boat to a dark wooden revolving cylinder with a long lever. Porgo took hold of the lever and gave it a mighty push, the rope fastened to the device stretching taut. He tried again, and then once more, his thick biceps straining before releasing the rope.

  “Anchor must be tangled in those damn snaking roots. Ready yourselves while I swim out to dig the fucking thing free,” Porgo told us. Teryn began packing up the food and emptied the dregs of the tea into his cup as I got to my feet so that I could watch the sailor go about his work. Porgo leapt over the side, his dive graceful, and sliced into the water like a rapier. I padded over to the rail as his form sped to the roots. He looked to be a strong swimmer. Given his profession that made sense. I, on the other hand, could swim. Not well, surely not as powerfully as Porgo leaping in and out of the brine like a porpoise, but well enough that I would not drown if I tumbled into—

  A dark shape appeared from under the boat, cutting through the briny water. I leaned over the smooth wood balustrade as smaller schools of fish exploded outward in a sunburst to avoid the bigger fish now cruising the pool.

  “Porgo,” I called out after he surfaced by a large clump of hydrawood. Floating like a cork, he ran his hand over his face to clear the saltwater from his eyes and then bobbed around to look at me. “A large fish is nearby.”

  I pointed at the foamy sea. I had seen a few of the large reef sharks that fishermen had caught off the coast of Celear. Massive fish with rows of sharp teeth, eyes as dark as a necromancer’s soul, and hides as tough as leather.

  “Pah,” he called back as he turned to face the tangle of roots where the anchor was bound up. “There is naught in these waters that scare me. Now go back to your tea and dry bread, mainlander, and let me—”

  His head and shoulders disappeared under the water with a splashy gurgle. I opened my mouth to yell about the shark when three creatures exploded from the tidal pool below me, long dark nails digging into the wooden sides of the boat. Instead of hair, they had slimy seaweed dangling down over rotted flesh and glowing green eyes. I jumped back, stumbling over myself, as Teryn yelped from the other side of the ship.

  “Brine hags!” Porgo shouted from the water. “Save the mahouk!”

  “As if I need him to tell me my duty,” I snarled, dull headache forgotten as I dove at my small pile of equipment. I went to one knee to grab my sword from under a mound of cloth totes stuffed with provisions. A dozen small oranges rolled across the deck just as the monsters slithered between the balusters. Their bottom halves were like that of an eel, the last bits of sun showing the tail to be smooth, scaleless, and deep green. A short dorsal fin snaked up the hags’ backs from tail to neck. Seaweed obscured their faces as they propelled themselves at us, using their thick arms and undulating lower halves to shoot them forward.

  “Do not let the tails touch you, for they deliver a mighty shock that can stop a man’s heart!” Porgo yelled out amid grunts and splashes.

  Ah, so the rumors of people who were half-fish and half-elf were not all fiction. Half-eel and half-atrocity was close enough to count. I ran to Teryn, shoving him behind me, placing myself between the ambassador and the brine hags. They made raspy clicking noises as they writhed around on the deck, which now seemed to have a layer of slimy mucus.

  “Stay at my back,” I yelled at Teryn as a hag swiped at me. I sliced at her arm, severing a hand cleanly. Dark red blood ran from the stump. The creature clicked loudly, the sound coming out from behind a curtain of weedy hair. She slithered behind her sisters, leaving a streak of blood in her wake. The hand twitched, so I kicked it over the side of the ship. “I will protect you!”

  “So noble,” he said as a swirling tunnel of sand swept over us, blinding me momentarily, as he shifted behind me. One hag lunged out. I swiped at her, missing her neck but severing the long green ropes of seaweed. A tail whipped toward me as the dust cleared.

  I jumped to the left to avoid the strike, wondering why Teryn felt that now was the time to shift into a small fox. Perhaps he thought to…I had no idea what he was thinking. I lunged at one of the hags, cutting into an arm with flesh that hung loose from its bones. My sword found purchase, slicing into the bone. Two sounds filled the air. One, the pained clattering of the injured hag, and the other, the pitched keen of a raptor. From the right, a silver and gray harrier with black barring along the edges of its wings flew into the fray, amber eyes locked on the hag missing a hand, legs extended, talons out. The bird’s wings were enormous, easily as wide as I stood tall. The strike was lightning fast, the claws digging into the head of the hag. The bird beat its wings as if to take off, but the hag was far too heavy. Instead, the raptor ripped off the top of the undead thing’s head and then took to the air.

  A click to my left pulled my stunned sight from what had to be Teryn back to the fray. Long, craggy claws ripped into my side. The pain was sharp, intense, but it served its purpose. Bringing my focus to the enemy, I dropped down into a crouch, slid my hand under a blanket, and brought up my shield. The slam to the gut of the hag winded it just enough that I could drive my sword through its rotted chest. The creature emitted a sound that made me wince before it slumped over my sword. I caught the flash of silvery-gray feathers in my peripheral as I charged at another hag. This one slithered back, rising up on its tail, pulling me into the slippery mucus on the deck. My feet slid out from under me. The hag fell on me as my ass hit the deck, seaweed slapping my face, the glowing green eyes wide as the round hole lined with small sharp teeth. I brought the hilt of my sword across its face, knocking the hag off me. Rising to one knee, I swung out and severed the head of the creature with a clean cut. Foul-smelling ichor pulsed out of the downed thing, coating the deck with more fluids.

  Getting to my bare feet was difficult. Teryn was diving at one of the two remaining hags. One fell on my back as I watched the mahouk rip into the back of the hag he faced, tearing free large chunks of rotted flesh and then taking to the air to avoid long arms flailing madly about. I let myself fall backward to try to stun my opponent. The hag clicked by my ear, cold lips and brittle teeth trying to latch onto my neck. I slammed my head back time and again until I heard the crack of bone. The things had no nose so the crunch must have been its face. Its hold around my shoulders slackened. I broke free of the grapple, moved to the left, and got to one knee. Shield up, sword ready, I waited for the hag to move, but it lay there still as a morning sky. I drove my blade through its head just to ensure the beast was dead. If one could slay an undead monster. My knowledge of such was limited to what I had read in books during my training.

  The screech of the harrier pulled me from the unmoving hag. I rose, slid halfway across the deck, and slammed my shield into the face of the lone hag still upright. The raptor careened out of the sky, a wing clipping my cheek, as it lunged for another attack. The hag, sensing she was the only one left, perhaps grew frantic. Her long tail lashed about, catching my calf and delivering a shock that made my body seize. My blade and shield clattered to the deck. I fell to my side, shaking violently, unable to catch my breath. The harrier screamed as I fought against blacking out. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, my legs and arms began to work. I stiffly moved to my back in time to see Teryn impact that hag full on from a dive that sent both him and the hag over the side of the ship.

  “Teryn!” I coughed out, staggering to my hands and knees, and I crawled to the rail. Bubbles roiled from the water, then the bird emerged from the brine with the head of the hag in his long talons and flew into the air. Water streamed off its beautiful plumage as it flew in a circle, dropping the head into the trees and then banking low. I clung to the rail, the weakness in my muscles beginning to fade just as Porgo heaved himself up over the side of the Simin Draya. He met my look. One side of his face had what looked to be a burn, while his bare shoulders had weeping claw marks.

  The harrier landed gracefully on the railing before jumping awkwardly to the deck. I let myself slide to the floorboards, the toes on my right leg still numb, to watch the bird of prey hop over to the pillows and pluck his golden earring from the overturned pot of tea. Amid a soft swirling dervish of sand where once stood a harrier now stood Teryn, earring in his mouth. He spat it into his hand and fastened it through the pointed tip of his ear.

  “I much prefer a sweetened biscuit with my tea,” he commented, glancing between Porgo and myself. “Which of you is the most severely injured?”

  We both pointed to the other. Teryn rolled his eyes and pulled his robes over his head. “Typical proud males. We have some healing poultices and small flasks of medicinal potions P’tash supplied us with. Since our sea captain is bleeding, I shall tend to him first.”

  “I am fine,” I said, waving my hand to indicate Teryn should see to Porgo. Without him healed, we could not leave this lagoon. Not that I wished to set sail. Ihdos no. But the sooner we got to Yaza Kee, the sooner we could find the twins. My ocean sickness would set us back enough as it were. I would not add more lost time to our mission. “The shock of the tail has made me wobbly, but it is wearing off.”

  “Warned you about the tails,” Porgo said with a frown at Teryn, who was advancing on him with a small green bottle. “Hate the stench of that shit. Might better sniff the arse end of one of them brine hags. Nasty things. Sneaky too. Prowl the shallows for victims. Stun their prey and then drag them under the water to feast on their bones.”

  “And this is why I live inland,” I mumbled, easing myself upward. My legs seemed more cooperative.

  “Since you’re up, why don’t you mop that slimy shite off the deck? Ouch, that burns. Are you using the right potion, Mahouk?”

  “I am. Now stop crying like a child with a scraped knee,” Teryn scolded the beefy elf.

  I snickered. Porgo called me something in Sandrayan which got him a soft chide from Teryn. Gathering my weapon and shield, I placed them under the awning for cleaning later and then mopped the blood and slime from the deck.

  Once that was done, the sky was now black. Teryn moved to me with his potion bottle, demanding to see my wounds. I peeled off the blousy shirt. The claw marks on my side had begun to scab over. Teryn bid me sit beside him. Porgo began hoisting the anchor, the soft clatter of the rope pulling the heavy, wooden mooring device over the front of the boat.

  Teryn lit the small lantern as he settled beside me, the aroma of sand sage weak but still enjoyable as it blew past me on the breeze.

  “These are deep. When we get to port, we will have a healer tend to them, but for now, this will cleanse the wound well enough.” He lifted my arm and placed it over my head. “This may sting.”

  “I’m no weeping child with a skinned knee,” I replied loudly. The captain of the ship spat what was now becoming a familiar word at me as he trudged up to us under the awning. Teryn spoke to him in Sandrayan. Porgo huffed then dug into a hidden pocket among the layers of his blue skirt.

  “Here.” He shoved a tin at me. Easing my arm down, I warily took the offer. “Don’t be scared, mainlander.” I made a face. “It’s a paste made from pearly barnacles. You dip your finger into it and then place a glob on your tongue. Tastes like hog piss, but do not spit it out or swallow. Let it melt slowly. It will keep you sleeping through the worst of your sea illness.”

  Teryn smiled serenely as I gaped up at the tattooed man. “You had this last night?”

  “Aye, but I wasn’t sure you had earned it. It costs a monthly wager. Since you did so well keeping the mahouk safe, I have concluded that you earned a fingerful or two.”

  “That is most gracious of you, Captain,” Teryn said before I could spit out what I wished to say, which would not have been so kind. “Perhaps we should get underway?”

  “As you wish, Mahouk.” Porgo made his way to the prow.

  “I would get that on my tongue now,” Teryn said as he returned to dabbing whatever foul-smelling potion he had on my wounds. My ribs tingled from the medicine. Muttering to myself, I did as instructed. Popping off the worn metal lid, I took a sniff and gagged.

  “This reeks.”

  “Yes, pearly barnacles are quite foul. Hurry now.” I glanced at Porgo as his markings began to glow a soft blue. The ship was moving forward, the sails puffing out under the twin moon sisters’ light. I dipped a finger into the paste and then smeared it on my tongue. The concoction was so bitter that my eyes watered profusely. “They taste foul as well, but it will help. Do not swallow.” Teryn rubbed my back as I let the horrid paste melt and leak down my throat. “Well done. That should help. I recommend staying here in the middle of the ship with me when the motion of the ship grows stronger.”

  “I have never tasted a fouler thing,” I sputtered, taking the cup of tea that Teryn passed to me to rinse the nastiness from my tongue.

  “Sometimes the most bitter medicine is the one that does the most good.” He patted my back, his touch lingering on my shoulders and skimming down my spine. I let him explore as the air currents grew stronger, pushing the sails to maximum. “We will nibble on dry bread and drink tea as the stars guide us to Yaza Kee.”

  “Will you tell me how it is that you can transform into more than one beast?” I asked, the stars now shining down on us as we raced out of the shallows back into the Silvura Sea, Porgo’s soft chanting melodious. “I was under the assumption that those who possess the druidic magicks could only change into one creature.”

  “Ah, you speak of the wood elves and woodland druids that live in clans devoted to one specific beast.” He helped me ease into a clean shirt, the last Sandrayan type I had brought with me. The other was bloody, slimy, and unfit for anything other than a bilge rag according to Porgo. “My people, upon leaving the mainland, expanded our magical bases and studies, so that over the centuries we could transform into various beasts. Sip more tea.”

  I did as bid, watching him settle amongst the pillows. I longed to curl up beside him, tuck him into my side, and kiss all that beautiful dark skin. The boat hit a rough wave. I braced for the first round of nausea to strike. It arrived subtly. Of course, the sea illness had built up over time last night, so I would not count my chickens before they hatched, as the old elven washerwomen liked to say.

  “What various forms can you shift into?” I asked after nibbling on more of the dry, bland flatbread. Teryn did not reply. I glanced from my food to the ambassador. He was sound asleep. I drank him in. The lantern glow on his smooth face danced about as the ship hit wave after wave. He was masculine beauty in its purest form. Not wishing to wake him, I stretched out beside him, watching his chest rise and fall as we sailed to the land of black sands. My thoughts touched on the kidnapped twins, my friend Tezen, and the royal family. My heart lurched as I pictured the tiny heirs frightened amid strangers in a strange land. While I should be praying for a diplomatic end to this situation, I could not help but confess that sinking my blade into the heart of Jaska Ashwish held great attraction. A traitor and a kidnapper deserved no kinder fate in my estimation. I drifted off to sleep with the image of my sword finding the heart of a betrayer of his own realm. It was a fulfilling sight, to be sure.