Treasures of Fantasy - Margaret Weis [34]
“The two men do appear intent on killing each other. We could let them fight when we are in open water, far from land. It would help alleviate the boredom. We’ll see how the voyage goes.”
“An excellent idea!” said Acronis.
He glanced over to where Skylan sat on the ground, eating fish paste with his fingers and every so often casting a glance in their direction.
“He knows we’re talking about him,” said Acronis. “So the young man is a chief. I look forward to seeing how he handles himself in a fight.”
He added, as an afterthought, “I suppose we must consult Raegar in this? He is our priest, after all, and concerned with our spiritual well-being.”
“I already did,” said Zahakis. “Raegar is opposed, of course. He says that the ritual contest will only encourage the Vindrasi in their barbaric beliefs. He wants them to turn their thoughts to Aelon.”
Acronis sighed. “I don’t mind confessing to you, Zahakis, that I find Aelon to be a very tiresome god. He pokes his nose into our affairs, keeps his eye on us at all times, demands that we do this, do that . . .”
“Rather like my wife, sir,” said Zahakis.
Skylan was forced to tell Sigurd that there would be no Vutmana, at least not tonight. Sigurd grumbled that Skylan must have said something or done something to spoil their plans. Skylan said Sigurd was an ass and once again the soldiers had to step in to break up the fight.
The next day dawned fine. The wind continued blowing strong and the Light of the Sea and the Venjekar sailed out into the Sea of Tears. They had now entered waters unknown to the Torgun. Accustomed to sailing within sight of land, navigating by landmarks, the Vindrasi had no idea where they were. They knew by the position of the sun that they were heading south, but that was all.
The concept of sailing at night was unknown to them. Sailing in the dark was dangerous within sight of land. A ship could founder on rocks or run aground. There were no such dangers in the middle of the ocean. The main danger there was in losing their way. Without landmarks, Skylan had no idea where they were.
Raegar had tried to show Skylan how to read a map, to use it to tell where he was and determine where he was going and how to get there. The maps had proven useless to Skylan. Neither he nor any of the other Vindrasi could read or write.
He had come to see how maps could be of value, however. The thought had come to him that once they escaped, he would have to sail the Venjekar home through these strange waters. He began to think that the ability to unlock the mystery of these baffling lines and squiggles might be worthwhile.
Zahakis had a map on which he noted the progress of the Venjekar. When Skylan expressed an interest in learning about such means of navigation, Zahakis pointed out to Skylan where they were, where they were headed, where they had been. He showed Skylan his own homeland, tracing the route they had followed with his finger.
“What is the route you took to reach my homeland?” Skylan asked.
Zahakis glanced at Skylan sharply. Skylan kept his gaze fixed on the map, feigning interest, though to him it was nothing but scrawls and pictures.
“We sailed east from Oran and then north.”
The wind is blowing us south to Oran, Skylan considered. If we take back our ship, we would not have the wind. We will have to row and our numbers are few. We would have to sail close to land, make landfall every night. The voyage will be a long one, but we could manage.
“Raegar told me that men could find their way across the open sea using some sort of tools that take measurements of the stars or something like that,” said Skylan. “I didn’t believe him,” he added hastily, not wanting Zahakis to think him gullible.
“On the contrary, this time Raegar was telling you the truth,” said Zahakis. “I don’t understand the workings of such scientific instruments myself.