The Coral Kingdom - Douglas Niles [93]
"The surface of the sea may be blocked," replied the sea elf, his tone sincere, "and the cyclones may raise a barrier into the sky. But we have no control as to what passes beneath the surface of the sea, and it is the sahuagin and their foul kin, the scrags, who are our most persistent enemies."
"It's a relief to hear that humans don't fill that role all the time!" Alicia retorted. "Think-you've just named our enemies as well as your own!"
Palentor flushed, his mottled skin growing dark green. His lips stretched taut across his mouth, and for a second, Alicia wondered if he would strike at her. Her own fists clenched, reacting to the fury of his gaze. But then his expression softened-albeit minimally.
"It's true. Though we have prepared all our lives for the human menace, the only battles we have fought have been against the creatures of the deep."
"Then can't you see that we're not the enemy?" the princess demanded.
Suddenly Palentor's gaze narrowed, and Alicia felt uncomfortable as she saw his eyes boring into her. When he next spoke, it was with passion, not anger. "But for the elves… don't you see? Evermeet is everything! You humans will claim all the great continents eventually-Toril, Maztica, Kara-Tur… The elven populations in those places are shrinking, have been for thousands of years."
His voice dropped, but the princess sensed that he really did want her to see. "We must keep Evermeet secure, else our race will die out."
"I understand," she replied sincerely, and for the first time, she started to grasp the millennia-long conflict that had driven the elves to this island. "Please, Palentor-realize that we are not a threat to your island. We're grateful for the help of your queen… and yourself, but when we leave we won't be coming back."
"But others-"
"We won't tell people how we got here! And no other ship or captain could make it through your cyclones!" the princess argued, with a touch of exasperation.
Palentor looked at Brandon with a hint of respect mingling with the constant suspicion in his eyes. The sea elf turned back to Alicia, his expression hardening to its familiar lines. "I must see to the debarking of cargo," he said stiffly, turning back to the great canoes.
But the princess was gratified when she looked into those green, almond-shaped eyes, because for the first time, besides the anger and suspicion, she saw a hint of doubt.
* * * * *
The prisoner's mind continued to grow as his body purged itself of the memory-suppressing drug. He recalled things-images and sensations-but still had difficulty attaching names to those memories. He knew that he had been a king and sensed that this was a great thing, but he couldn't name his kingdom or remember his subjects.
The loss of his hand had grown in his mind, becoming more than a wound. It was an affront, an attack against his pride that he could not let stand. He had no clear memory of who had cut it off, but when that memory returned, someone-or something-would die. The man knew that he had killed before, and he remembered that killing was not a pleasant task, but sometimes a necessary one.
Most tantalizing of his recent memories was the image of a woman-a person of exquisite beauty and great tenderness. Her hair, long and black and silky, he recalled particularly. His mind drifted to images of that hair, of his hand stroking it, of his woman lying in a sun-speckled field of heather, with birds soaring above and towers of white piercing the sky near them.
It was an idyllic sensation, and for a moment, the recollection swept him along, warming his heart and even bringing an unconscious smile to his face. Then the memory dissipated and he looked around at his dank cell, and once again the rage began to swell.
This fury of his became a constant companion. It drove him to restless periods of pacing when he stalked the confines of his surprisingly large cage. He stared at the pool of water that served as the entrance. Where did it lead? How far did it go? The other features of his chamber provided even less promise. The dark