Darkin A Journey East - By Joseph A. Turkot Page 0,68
yourself and find what hope may be afforded by it,” Remtall said. He fetched a yellowed scroll from one of the bags at his side, unrolled it and handed it to Adacon. He read the handwritten ink on the parchment:
‘Dear travelers,
I must write vaguely, for as much as I trust Yarnhoot’s hardihood, recent news has made it clear that this letter may never reach you, and I must account for the chance it will fall into their hands.
Know that the hermit of Molto’s Keep lives, and goes about aiding you in ways unseen. Sorry I am for the abrupt departure, A. and E., but a severe matter darkened our world—such that it grew blacker than I could have foreseen. You know this now, I am sure.
Know also that phantoms trail you, keeping watch for your safety. They repay a favor of old. Be not saddened either, for my magic is with the rest. Press on, brave journeyers, and seek your destination still. Farewell.
Sincerely,
~Solun Hermit’
“I must be the abbreviated A, and Erguile the E,” Adacon realized, regaining spirit.
“When he writes be not saddened, I take him to mean the loss of Slowin, Flaer, and Erguile,” Remtall responded.
“Yes, it must be,” Adacon replied, overjoyed. “And Weakhoof as well, let’s hope.”
“It won’t be long before we pass through the Fang Shoals and reach Erol Drunne. In the meantime, we must think of some great thanks to pay the phantoms for keeping us alive.”
“Have they been with us since the storm?”
“They have,” Remtall answered, taking a drink from his flask. “Since the moment they set us to sea in this boat, they have watched us, keeping us with food from the wrecked schooner.”
“Then I will attempt to repay them in what way I can once we arrive.”
“Try as we might, part of me thinks they will disappear as soon as they have guided us as far as Krem asked them to,” Remtall guessed.
“Either way, we remain in their debt,” Adacon said, and he turned to the phantom ship behind them but saw nothing; he waved with glee at the blank sky.
“It is perhaps through some magic of theirs that you were sustained through your sleep,” Remtall said. “For as I tried to force feed you, you would never take what I gave, save for some rum I managed to drizzle past your teeth.” He cracked a wry smile.
“The debt I owe for being kept alive—be it to Krem, the phantoms, or Gaigas—I will try to repay somehow,” Adacon proclaimed. Remtall ignored him and set about making a small meal of stale bread and dried meat.
The two sat under the hot sun, drifting atop the half-invisible floor, eating and discussing their fate.
“Should we still fear the Fang Shoals with the phantoms aiding us?” Adacon asked in between bites.
“We do not need to fear the shoals themselves, as this dinghy seems to glide above the water. We might take her into the surf and onto the sand if we needed to. But Karabden is a different story,” Remtall muttered.
“Does it lurk in the waters we head toward?” Fear trickled into the back of Adacon’s consciousness.
“I have been told as much by all the captains of the sea I ever knew. I know that if maneuvered right, the whirlpool of Karabden can be wholly avoided. I have also heard that the maneuvering needed to avoid her is a tremendous feat, even for a sea-gnome,” Remtall explained.
“But it’s the phantoms who move our ship, isn’t it?”
“It is boy; this vessel has no sails, as you know, nor any oars or rudders,” Remtall replied. “Relax—you think too much already, and you’ve only just got up. Enjoy the peace of the Kalm, for we are upon the shoals in two days time.”
“You want me to rest after I’ve been resting for two months? You’re right though, there’s nothing I can do. Why did I sleep so long?”
“As I remember it, a great brick of ice clipped your head, just before that net of the phantoms formed. Lucky you survived at all, I think.” They had their fill of bread and meat, and then the gnome and human stretched out to find as much comfort as possible on the tiny boat floor. Remtall erected a tarp he had made from one of their food sacks, shielding them from the scorching rays of sun.
“And Remtall,” Adacon said.
“Yes?”
“You looked so calm, I remember, just before the wave hit us. You were even smoking your pipe still…”