Feathered Dragon - Douglas Niles [65]
And then one glorious morning we crest a low, rocky ridge and see the strip of blue beckoning us on the horizon. The Sea of Azul!
By nightfall of that day, we reach the shore. The desert dwarves shun the water, staying well back from the soft breakers. We humans, however, and the horse, and even the dwarf Daggrande enter the brine, soaking and splashing and playing like children. We relish the cool wash of the waves, though we take care not to drink.
But this is a splendid landmark. We have our bearings, and we know that the desert will soon fall behind us. Now our path will turn north, to follow the shore, and soon we will enter the lush realm of Far Pay it. Payit, and our goal of Twin Visages, lies beyond.
From the chronicles of Coton:
Emerging from the grasp of the desert, we finally reach
the sea.
For weeks, the desert dwarves lead us eastward across the House of Tezca. The perils of the passage are many, bun the numbers of our escort hold the creatures of the deed desert-even the fire lizards-at bay. All of us become inured to the sun, browned by his rays and toughened by his heat.
Our only water comes from the sand mother, the plump cactus that these desert dwarves use so well. As to food. Qotal sustains us through the limited power* he has granted me, his faithful priest. We grow thin and lean, for the sustenance must feed many mouths.
ROADS TO PAYIT
The rider left a dusty plume across the brown valley bottom, a floating cloud of dry silt that was visible for many miles. The captain-general remained atop the high breastwork, watching the growing dust cloud, hoping for good news.
As the horseman drew near to the fortified ridgetop, Cordell stepped down from the earthwork where he had been supervising additional entrenchments. He recognized Grimes and met him at the base of the redoubt.
“What did you find?” asked the commander, even before the horseman had dismounted.
“The eagles are right,” said the scout, sliding from (he saddle and stretching muscles stiff from a long ride. “They’re gone. Seems like they’ve pulled back to the north.”
“Excellent!” Cordell clapped the man on the back. “1 don’t know how we beat them, but we did!” He turned back toward the earthwork, only to hear Grimes clear his throat.
“Uh, General?”
“Yes?” Cordell turned back to his captain of horse.
“Some of the men… that is, uh, I’ve been wondering. Now that we don’t have a pack of ores on our trail, do you have any plans to head for home? It’s been more than a year, and some of the fellows have families back in Amn. And with the gold lost, it doesn’t seem like there’s much more for us to do here…”
Cordell thought for a moment, unsurprised by the question. “Pass the word,” he offered. “As soon as our work here is done, we’ll be moving on. I am not prepared to accept the Joss of all our profits, but we have to start thinking about a return. It won’t be long.”
Grimes nodded gruffly. “Thank you, sir,” he added before leading his horse toward the lake below. Turning to watch him, Cordell saw Chical approaching. The Eagle Knight wore his black-and-white-feathered mantle and the wooden. hooked helmet that shaded his face. He had a pensive expression on his smooth, coppery face.
“Captain-General, I have some information you will be interested in,” said Chical as he reached Cordell. The Eagle Knight seemed oddly guarded in his manner.
“Yes? What is it?” Cordell grew steadily more fluent in the Nexalan tongue, and now he used it to converse with his fellow warriors.
“As you know, eagles have been soaring across the True World, observing the horde of the Viperhand and also scouting other dominions to see how far the catastrophe has spread.”
“1 know. Have they found something important?” Cordell studied Chical,