The Dragon Revenant - Katharine Kerr [131]
“Sooner or later, though, someone’s going to have to do it, or the islands won’t be civilized for long.”
“True enough. I thank all the gods that the guilds have never gotten a toehold in Orystinna.”
“How come they haven’t?”
“Our top men would rather die than be terrorized.” Elaeno smiled tightly. “And the little bastards know it.”
As a shipmaster Elaeno owned a large collection of maps of various islands as well, of course, as a good working knowledge of navigation. He was the one who realized how to turn Perryn’s strange talent to an even greater advantage. First he had Perryn stand in the innyard and point in the exact direction which led to Jill; then he took him out the north gate of the city, some two miles from the inn, and had him do it again. Then they retraced their steps and went out the east gate for one last try. Since Elaeno never bothered to explain, Perryn was bewildered, thinking that somehow he’d failed the dweomermaster the first two times, but later, after they rejoined Nevyn back at the inn, everything became clear. Elaeno spread a bark-paper map out on the table and used the dull point of a spoon and the edge of his dagger to score straight lines, each originating at a place where they’d taken a reading off his inner lodestone. Just like magic, to Perryn’s way of thinking, the lines all came together up in the central plateau of Surtinna.
“And Jill has to be about there.” Elaeno stabbed at the map with one blunt finger. “Pastedion’s the closest city to the point I’ve marked.”
“Well and good,” Nevyn said. “Now, tell me, Perryn. Could you tell if Jill was closer or farther away today than she was when we first landed?”
“Er, well, ah, I’d say she hasn’t moved at all.”
“Indeed? That’s interesting. I hope it means they’re in a safe place, and not that they’re being held prisoner.”
“Oh come now, don’t be morbid,” Elaeno broke in. “You’d know if the lass were in some foul danger.”
“No doubt I would, or at least, I’d hope I would. At any rate, we’ll be leaving tonight. What do you think, Elaeno? Sail down to Indila, and then take to the land from there?”
Perryn forced himself to stifle a groan.
“How many filthy horses did the archon give you? Twelve and then the pack mules?” Elaeno considered, rubbing his chin. “Well, I guess we can fit some into the hold and then tie the rest up on deck—if your men stay there with’em. My ship’s a merchanter, not some stinking cattle barge.”
“Er, ah, well, um, my lord? Couldn’t we just ride and spare the captain’s boat?”
“You’re being a bit obvious, Perryn,” Nevyn said. “If we sail to Indila we can save a night—at least—and we’ve got to make all possible speed. I’m afraid we’ll be taking to the sea again, but it won’t be for long this time.”
As he began packing up Nevyn’s gear, Perryn was thinking that making restitution was turning out to be a lot more painful than he’d anticipated back in his nice safe prison in Eldidd. For the first time it also occurred to him to wonder what Jill was going to say or do to him when they met again. He began shaking so badly in a tangle of terror and desire that he had to sit down for a moment and gulp for breath.
The high priest’s prediction that the archon of Pastedion would take a few days to settle Rhodry’s case turned out to be overly optimistic. For more than a few Jill and the others had stayed in the temple compound—languished there, or so she preferred to think of it—while Salamander and Brother Merrano trotted back and forth between the temple and the archon’s palace to bribe various civil servants, arrange appointments, keep appointments, spread more bribes, and arrange still another round of meetings with this official or that. In between each stage of this complex