Dragons of Spring Dawning - Margaret Weis [84]
Tika lowered her head, her red curls hid her face. “I hope so,” she whispered. “I love him so much. I would die myself, if it would save him.”
Now that she was certain Caramon would be all right, Tika focused her attention on this strange man. She saw he was middle-aged, clean-shaven, his eyes as wide and frank as his smile. Human, he was dressed in red robes. Pouches dangled from his belt.
“You’re a magic-user,” Tika said suddenly. “Like Raistlin!”
“Ah, that explains it.” Zebulah smiled. “Seeing me, in his semiconscious state, made this young man think of his brother.”
“But what are you doing here?” Tika glanced around at her strange surroundings, seeing them for the first time.
She had seen them, of course, when the man brought her here, but she hadn’t noticed them in her worry. Now she realized she was in a chamber of a ruined, crumbling building. The air was warm and stifling. Plants grew lushly in the moist air.
There was some furniture, but it was as ancient and ruined as the room in which it was haphazardly placed. Caramon lay on a three-legged bed, the fourth corner being held up by a stack of old, mosscovered books. Thin rivulets of water, like small, glistening snakes, trickled down a stone wall that gleamed with moisture. Everything gleamed with moisture, in fact, reflecting the pale, eerie, green light that glowed from the moss growing on the wall. The moss was everywhere, of every different color and variety. Deep green, golden yellow, coral red, it climbed the walls and crawled across the domed ceiling.
“What am I doing here?” she murmured. “And where is here?”
“Here is—Well, I suppose you could say here,” Zebulah answered pleasantly. “The sea elves saved you from drowning and I brought you here.”
“Sea elves? I never heard of sea elves,” Tika said, glancing around curiously, as if she might see one hiding in a closet. “And I don’t remember elves saving me. All I remember is some sort of huge, gentle fish.…”
“Oh, you needn’t look around for the sea elves. You won’t see them. They fear and distrust KreeaQUEKH—‘air-breathers’ in their language. And those fish were the sea elves, in the only shape they let KreeaQUEKH see them. Dolphins, you call them.”
Caramon stirred and moaned in his sleep. Laying her hand upon his forehead, Tika brushed back his damp hair, soothing him.
“Why did they save our lives, then?” she asked.
“Do you know any elves, land elves?” Zebulah asked.
“Yes,” Tika answered softly, thinking of Laurana.
“Then you know that to all elves, life is sacred.”
“I understand.” Tika nodded. “And like the land elves, they renounce the world rather than help it.”
“They are doing what they can to help,” Zebulah rebuked her severely. “Do not criticize what you do not understand, young woman.”
“I’m sorry,” Tika said, flushing. She changed the subject. “But you, you’re human. Why—”
“Why am I here? I have neither the time nor the inclination to relate my story to you, for it is obvious you would not understand me either. None of the others do.”
Tika caught her breath. “There are others? Have you seen any more from our ship … our friends?”
Zebulah shrugged. “There are always others down here. The ruins are vast, and many hold small pockets of air. We take those we rescue to the nearest dwellings. As for your friends, I couldn’t say. If they were on the ship with you, they were most likely lost. The sea elves have given the dead the proper rituals and sent their souls upon their way.” Zebulah stood up. “I’m glad your young man survived. There’s lots of food around here. Most of the plants you see are edible. Wander about the ruins if you like. I’ve laid a magic spell on them so you can’t get into the sea and drown. Fix the place up. You’ll find more furniture—”
“But wait!” Tika cried. “We can’t stay here! We must return to the surface. Surely there must be some way out?”
“They all ask me that,” Zebulah said with a touch of impatience. “And, frankly, I agree. There must be some way out. People seem to find it on occasion. Then, there