Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy (17 page)

“That’s O.K.,” said Kazin. “It’s something we’ll have to get used to, anyway. But why did they send you? We were supposed to report to Arch Mage Valdez for our assignments.”

“That’s a good question, Kazin,” said Sandor. “First of all, I’m sure Arch Mage Valdez has his hands full in the tower. Secondly, they probably thought that I would be a good person to send on this mission considering my previous experience with you two and the fact that I won’t be teaching for a couple of weeks. Apparently, two of the new master mages are interested in a teaching career. One of them can take my place when I’m gone.”

“Why can’t you tell us about the details of this assignment?” asked Max.

“You guys need a break. Why worry you with the details already?” said Sandor. “Speaking of break, how did your party go?”

“It was fun,” said Kazin. “The fire sticks were a real blast. It’s a good thing we started early, though. The downpour started just after dark and didn’t let up until probably shortly before you came to get us.”

“The rain just stopped when I reached Max’s house,” said Sandor. “I’m glad it did. I’m not one for traveling in the rain.”

“Me neither,” muttered Max.

They stood by the side rail for a few minutes and finally headed to their bunks to get another hour or two of sleep.

It was mid-morning when Kazin reappeared on deck for some fresh air. Rubin was manning the helm while some other sailors were working on the sails. Kazin went over to talk to Rubin.

“How long until we get to Arral?”

Rubin examined the billowing sails before answering. “I reckon we’ll be in Arral by first light in the morning if this wind keeps up.”

“That’s very fast,” commented Kazin.

“The Lady of the Sea don’t wait for nobody when she gets goin’,” said Rubin. “There ain’t many can keep up neither.”

Kazin nodded.

Rubin took one hand off the wheel and reached out. “I never had a chance earlier. Ye be called?”

“Kazin,” said Kazin, shaking his hand. “My friend is called Max and the older one is our former teacher, Sandor.”

“Max, he be O.K. The other one, Sandor? He I don’t trust. I reckon he don’t like me neither.”

“He is acting a little strange,” agreed Kazin. “I guess he’s a little stressful about our mission. It’s been a long time since he was away from the tower.”

Rubin shrugged. “Maybe he’s nervous about sailing. Not everyone feels comfortable with it.”

“That’s true,” agreed Kazin. He looked at Rubin’s large hands manning the wheel. “How many years have you been a sailor, Rubin?”

“I been sailing nigh fifteen years. Captain Durango took me on when I was sixteen. I been sailing with ‘im ever since.”

“Why did you choose to be a sailor? Most parents don’t like it when their children take to sea.”

Rubin sighed. “I been an orphan ever since I remember. I’ve always been on my own. The sea was the one place I could go to get away from those who would have taken advantage of me.”

“Sorry,” said Kazin.

“Don’t be sorry, Kazin,” said Rubin, brightening. “I be happy here. Captain Durango is like a father to me.”

Kazin could hardly visualize the crusty old captain as a father figure, but he didn’t know him that well.

“Ye want to drive for a bit?” asked Rubin.

Kazin looked around. “You mean me?”

“I weren’t talkin’ to the wind,” said Rubin, smiling.

“What do I do?” asked Kazin.

Max opened the hatch leading to the deck. Kazin wasn’t in his bunk, so he must have come outside. He scanned the ship and found him behind the wheel with Rubin. So that’s what he was up to! He went and joined them.

“Who said you could have all the fun?” he chided Kazin. “Next time, let me know when you do something interesting!”

“You want a turn?” asked Kazin. “My arms are tired anyhow.” He switched off to Max.

“Hey, this isn’t easy!” exclaimed Max, struggling to hold it steady.

“You wanted some of the fun, didn’t you?” asked Kazin innocently.

“You made it look easier than it was!” complained Max.

“It’s easier if you spread your feet apart and balance yourself properly. Rubin showed me how.”

Max looked hopefully at Rubin.

Rubin laughed. “All right, if you insist.” He took the helm and demonstrated the proper stance and positioning and made Max do the same.

“This isn’t so bad after all,” said Max after a moment.

“I’m starting to get hungry,” said Kazin. “I haven’t eaten since the party late last night.”

“The galley’s in the fore section of the ship,” said Rubin. “Gerald’s the cook. He’ll stir you up somethin’. His cookin’ ain’t gourmet, but it’s O.K.”

“Great,” said Kazin. “Come on Max. Let’s go eat.”

“Good idea,” said Max. He let go of the tiller but grabbed it again quickly. “Whoa! I think you’d better take over, Rubin.”

“I’m already here,” said Rubin, taking the spokes of the wheel firmly in hand. “Ye can let go now.”

Max joined Kazin and they went to the galley, where Gerald was tossing some pancakes into the air. Gerald was a hulking, robust man, typical of a ship’s cook. Aside from a receding hairline, he appeared to be fairly young, perhaps in his mid-thirties.

“Well!” said Gerald. “It appears my guests have finally gotten out of bed! What’ll ye have?”

“Some pancakes sound good to me,” said Kazin.

“If ye wouldn’t mind makin’ some fer us,” added Max with a mischievous grin.

Gerald threw his head back and roared with laughter. “It appears we have a comedian on board! Very well, pancakes it is. ‘Tis my specialty.”

The boys watched the cook at work. He operated a clean and efficient galley. The pots and pans hung in orderly fashion from carefully spaced pegs in the wall and the tables were almost a shiny clean. Gerald worked efficiently, preparing the pancakes with a familiarity only an experienced cook could have. When he finally placed their plates in front of them, they were awed by the enormous blueberry pancakes which hid the plates beneath. The mages did not hesitate to dig in. They were famished.

After breakfast they went back on deck. The sun was trying unsuccessfully to break through the cloud cover. The day passed relatively uneventfully and before they knew it, they were going below again to get some dinner. Here they met with most of the crew and heard stories of danger and intrigue. They went to bed that night with thoughts of adventure and glory and soon dozed off.

The mages awoke the next morning to the sound of running feet overhead. Something was going on. Max and Kazin quickly dressed and went on deck. The sky was just beginning to lighten in the east. It was still overcast and the morning breeze was rather cool. They ignored all this, staring instead at the majestic city of Arral which lay before them.

Arral was a large city, consisting of perhaps twenty-five thousand people. It was a major trade center and an enterprising port. The large, plain warehouses near the water paled in comparison with the even larger trade centers behind them, where goods from many lands and various races changed hands daily. There were many people already abroad despite the early hour.

This was only the eastern side of the river. The western side was a complete contrast to its counterpart. Here luxurious dwellings indicated the residential section of the city. Some mansions were even bigger than the warehouses and their yards. Their lush gardens portrayed an elegant serenity that contrasted sharply with the drab platforms and cluttered yards of the warehouses. The water on this side was shallower, preventing large and middle sized ships from getting too close. The nobles in this area liked it that way, preferring to let the other side of the river deal with all the commotion.

Spanning the river and joining the two parts of the city were two enormous bridges. One was designed to accommodate traffic in one direction, while the other was meant for traffic in the other. The height of these bridges permitted ships of all sizes to pass beneath, allowing for a smooth transportation system that was the envy of the lesser towns, which had to make use of barges in order to cross the river from one side to the other.

Captain Durango was on deck barking orders to his crew. Apparently they were going to bypass this magnificent city and continue on their journey south without stopping.

Kazin sighed. “I’ve only been to this city once but it was a time I’ll never forget. Some of the things they sold there were fascinating.”

“Did you get a chance to go to the residential section?” asked Max, looking at the mansions on the west side. “Some of the houses over there are enormous!”

“No,” said Kazin. “They don’t let outsiders across the bridge without a letter containing the seal of a resident from that part of town.”

“Too bad,” said Max. “It would be worth seeing sometime.”

They cruised gently under the first bridge. Some children waved at them from above. Kazin and Max waved back. The top of the masts of the Lady of the Sea easily cleared the bottom of the bridge. Obviously the bridge was built to accommodate even larger ships. The second bridge appeared to be newer than the first, but the height was the same.

There were docks all along the east side of the river and many ships were present, from small rowboats, to large merchantmen with holds big enough to contain tons of supplies. Down here the river was fast moving and as a result the ice from the winter was washed away many weeks ago. This allowed many ocean going vessels to be present, loading supplies to be brought south and east.

The Lady of the Sea sailed for another half hour or so before the great city vanished from sight behind some low hills. Several cows and sheep could be seen in the farmland in this area, a prime location for the fortunate farmers who tended them. The captain called for more speed and went below, satisfied with the smooth transition from Skull Lake to the Simal River. Their speed picked up immediately, a result of both the water current and the air.

The mages were still on deck when Rubin came up to them. “How’d ye like Arral?”

“It was quite the city,” said Kazin. “Too bad I couldn’t visit it this time.”

“Ye been there before?”

“Yeah, once.”

“Me too,” said Max. “I’ve even been as far as Rimmet. We traveled by road, though. It took us five days from Marral.”

Rubin whistled. “I’m glad I travel by sea. It saves a lot of time. We should be in Rimmet by this time tomorrow.”

“By tomorrow morning?!” said Max incredulously. “How can that be? It’s farther from here to Rimmet than it is from Marral to Arral.”

“We have the current and the wind on our side,” said Rubin. “To go upstream would take twice as long.”

“Oh,” said Max. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

Rubin smiled. “We’ll make a sailor of ye yet. Just wait ‘till we get to the Bay of Barlin, and the ocean beyond.”

“What’s it like?” asked Kazin.

“Ye’ll see when ye get there,” said Rubin with a mischievous grin. “It’ll be a time ye’ll never forget!”

Max groaned. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Speakin’ of sounds,” said Rubin, “I hear the sound of flapjacks. Time for breakfast. Comin’?”

Chapter 16

T
he passengers and crew of The Lady of the Sea arrived in Rimmet the following morning just as Rubin had predicted. Rimmet was a large town like Arral, but slightly smaller and less well-to-do. They had no bridges and anyone wishing to cross the river had to make use of the barges that were available on either side. It was just such a barge that caused a small commotion on the Lady of the Sea.

The Lady of the Sea had the right of way as she was coming downstream at a good clip. The barge operator was too slow to notice and before he could react he was directly in the schooner’s path. Captain Durango yelled for the barge to make way and the barge operator told the captain likewise. Durango issued orders and the Lady of the Sea swerved around the barge, narrowly missing it. The waves caused by the schooner threatened to swamp the barge and the barge operator shook his fist at Durango. The captain merely smiled smugly and chewed on his pipe. “Serves ‘im right,” he muttered.

The sun was already up and this time it managed to penetrate the cloud cover. It created a golden hue on the water and the ripples in the wake of the Lady of the Sea appeared as tiny droplets of gold. Captain Durango continued shouting orders as they wended their way around northbound ships, making their course steadily toward the junction of the Elgar and Simal rivers. The Simal River ended here, giving way to the southeast flowing Elgar.

To the west up the Elgar River lay North Lake, a massive lake some twenty times the size of Skull lake. Most ocean going vessels were too deep hulled to navigate up the western part of the Elgar, choosing instead to drop off their shipments in Rimmet or Arral. It was often worth the trip up the Simal River to Arral since the prices there were more attractive. The supplies to be brought back from Arral were also more valuable and diverse.

The Lady of the Sea smoothly made a turn to port, following the Elgar in a southerly direction. This route would soon veer off to the east.

Captain Durango came over to the three mages, all of whom stood on deck. “Well, me mateys, about three days sail an’ we’ll reach the bay of Barlin. Five days after that we’ll reach Ten Star Reef. From there it be south.” He looked at Sandor. “Ye still sure ye want to go down there? Them elves don’t take too kindly to our snoopin’ around in their waters.”

“Yes,” said Sandor. “We have important business there.”

Durango shrugged. “If ye insist.” He stuck his pipe back into his mouth and trudged off, muttering something about ‘mages’ and ‘business’.

“Does he always chew that empty pipe?” asked Max of no one in particular.

“Yup,” answered Rubin. He happened to be within earshot and overheard Max’s question. “Ever since I’ve known ‘im, he’s had that pipe in his mouth. Never smoked it once.”

“I wonder why,” said Max.

“From what I gather,” continued Rubin, “he used to smoke until his wife died. One day his wife took ill and blamed it on his smokin’. He never listened and finally she passed on. He took it hard and blamed himself. He swore he’d never smoke again and he didn’t. He kept the pipe, though, as a reminder of what happened back then. Now when he clenches down on it, it’s a sign of his determination or anger. Ye don’t want to get on his bad side, that’s for sure.”