Hakam stumbled into the helm room to join the others. Belvin was standing naked over the serpentine form of what was once
Nulara, hacking away at the thick, twitching tail. Everyone was splattered with black blood.
"She does not have her head, my friend," said Leokas in
Elvish. "Cease. She is dead."
"What in
Anachtyr's name happened?" asked Hakam. Then he saw the
minotaur's bulky form on the ground and Solisar's red-stained form slumped over in the chair. He rushed over to the
sun elf.
"You are too late," said Leokas. "He is dead as well."
"Even were he 'on time', what could he do without his powers," remarked Szordrin.
"The
minotaur?" Ignoring the comment, the cleric moved to Kytharrah and stooped down to check on him. "I see no wounds," he reported.
"She felled him with her fey touch," said Szordrin. "She touched me also, but I resisted her." The
tiefling stooped down, ignoring the woozy feeling he actually felt, and began collecting
lamia blood in a vial after drinking its healing contents.
"He is still breathing," said Hakam, in reference to the
minotaur. "He seems to be sound asleep." Indeed, Kytharrah had a large amount of drool draining from his mouth, and he periodically twitched.
"Perhaps he is trapped in dreams, as happened to
Jayce's companion," Leokas said.
Hakam shook the beast. Kytharrah made a strange sound that they had never heard before, a sort of half-snort, half-lowing moan. In any case, it did not sound pleasant, and he did not wake up.
"I will ask
Thard Harr to grant him the wisdom of the owl tomorrow morning, which should wake him," said Belvin. "For now, we shall just have to drag him over to the wall to get him out of the way."
"More importantly," Hakam replied, "I should point out that we should not have trusted this fiend." He pointed at
Nulara's severed and impaled head.
"Regrets and accusations do not bring back the dead," said Belvin, moving to Solisar and lifting his limp body off the chair. "
Thard Harr, however, can. I shall reincarnate Solisar tomorrow as well."
"No," said Hakam. "We still have time to raise him. Can any one else besides Solisar fly this magic vessel? We can take it to the nearest city with a temple of
Anachtyr, and I will gain my powers back. Then I will bring Solisar back to us."
"I am certain that
Tavis will be understanding if we have to take a detour," said Leokas.
"Will the magic of your
geas allow it though?" asked Hakam.
"I am not abandoning my duty to guard
Jhothûn," the
wood elf replied. "With this vessel, we will arrive at the portal more quickly than otherwise, even if we stop in
Silverymoon, which is the nearest city of which I know."
Belvin carefully laid the
sun elf's corpse next to the
minotaur.
"What makes you so sure that your god will give you your powers back?" Szordrin asked Hakam. "Has he not ignored all your prayers to do so until now?"
"The matter must be dealt with in a place holy to
Anachtyr and presided over by one of his priests," Hakam replied. "We have discussed this!"
"It still seems presumptuous to me," said Szordrin.
"Look, the next thing we need to do is get back to the others," said Leokas.
"The next thing
I need to do is get my camel and gear," said Belvin, who was still unclothed. He stepped out onto the deck.
"I agree that we should return to
Tavis quickly," said Hakam, "but if we can fly there, we may as well." He ripped some cloth from
Nulara's clothing and used some water to clean Solisar's blood from the helm chair. Satisfied, he sat down on it and leaned his head back. Nothing happened.
"Let me try," said Szordrin. "Perhaps it requires someone more sensitive to
the Weave." The chair did not react to Szordrin sitting in it either.
"We have not fallen from the sky," noted Hakam. "It seems whatever power Solisar gave the vessel remains in it, at least for the time being."
~~~~
While Leokas and Szordrin remained on the deck of the floating but stationary vessel, scanning the desert ruins for any further sign of
lamias, Hakam and Belvin returned to
Tavis.
The
firbolg saw them from a distance and immediately sensed that something was wrong. He came over to them with his lengthy strides. "What happened?"
"We were deceived by
Nulara," said Hakam. "She is defeated, but two of us have fallen. Solisar is dead, and the
minotaur is in a perpetual, nightmare-filled sleep."
"She was a
lamia noble," added Belvin.
"This journey grows more dangerous by the day," said
Tavis, "and I feel guilt that had I been there, these two good people might have been saved. Curse my promise to
Brianna!"
"The quest must continue," said Hakam, "but there is still hope, for
Anachtyr has blessed us with the discovery of a
spelljammer, a magical flying vessel. If we fly to a nearby city with a temple to
Anachtyr, I believe that I can have my powers restored and can raise Solisar and restore Kytharrah. With the
spelljammer, it is likely that we can arrive at the portal more quickly than had we continued directly from here on foot."
Ilthian reached them and asked where the others were.
"We found a boat that can fly," repeated Hakam somberly, "but we fought an unexpected battle with evil monsters, and Solisar and the minotuar fell."
"Fell?" she asked. "Why can they not get back up again?"
"They are dead," said Belvin, "like what happened to
Cassiera."
Ilthian gasped and covered her mouth in shock. By now she understood death much better than she did when they had first met her.
"Who will teach me how to write?" she asked, distraught. "Hakam cannot fix them, since his god is mad at him!"
"Only Solisar is dead," said Hakam. "The
minotaur is only sleeping. I
will fix them both. We just need to visit a city first."
"His name is Kytharrah!" she said, her voice tinged with an anger that Hakam had never heard from
Ilthian before. "Solisar named him." She turned away from the others. She did not appear to be crying, but she sounded like she might.
"I agree that we should travel to the nearest city to seek atonement from your god and try to bring our friends back," said
Tavis. "We should not tarry. Lead me to this flying vessel. Come,
Kaedlaw."
~~~~
Ilthian had stood aloof and distraught after seeing the bodies of Solisar and Kytharrah. They had since been moved into one of the cabins of the ship.
Nulara's body and head had been tossed from the ship, burned, and covered with stones.
"Do not worry,
Ilthian," said Szordrin, once the two groups had rejoined on the floating ship. "I can teach you how to read and write."
"Thank you," said
Ilthian to Szordrin, "but I do not want to learn new words right now."
"Let her be," whispered Hakam.
The remaining adventurers were in the room where the battle had happened. Szordrin had just finished examining the desk that was also in the room with the magic chair. Its surface was covered in circular grooves around a large embedded yellow marble. Other marbles of various shapes and sizes filled the circular grooves, but no amount of pushing would move the marbles by hand. They seemed affixed in place by some magic.
Belvin was busy, crouched on the floor, trying to use magic to warp the floor boards in such a way as to make washing them of blood easier. Next to him, Hakam was showing
Tavis, who had to shrink his form to fit in the space, the magic chair. It still did not respond to anyone else sitting in it.
"
Ilthian, can you try to sit in the chair and see what happens?" asked Leokas gently.
She tried, but there was no response for her either.
"May I try, too, Papa?" asked
Kaedlaw. Likewise, the chair ignored the half-giant child.
"We may be able to fly it somehow tomorrow," said Hakam. "If not, we shall have no choice but to abandon this ship and continue on to the
genie on foot."
"We shall have to sleep on the ground tonight," said Leokas. "If the power from Solisar that is keeping this ship afloat fails in the middle of the night...."
"We would risk more
lamias finding us," said Hakam, "but I do not see another option. I agree."
"I do not have a rope trick prepared today," said Szordrin. "I was counting on Solisar for that. We will be more vulnerable on the ground even than usual."
"We will rest close to each other with our weapons ready, and keep a close watch" said
Tavis, "some distance from the craft, in case it falls from the sky. I see little else for us to do."
~~~~
Dawn came to the ruins of
Hlaungadath, and they each thanked their patron gods that it had done so without further incident. The vessel still floated in the sky, and they had neither seen nor heard any sign of
lamias.
Belvin greeted the sun with a strange frantic dance in a circle.
"What was that for, my friend," Leokas asked.
"Since Solisar is dead," said the
wild elf, "we cannot know any longer who is watching us. I wanted to know where
Samber was relative to us."
"And?"
"He is southwest of us. I can only tell you the direction."
"That is what we would expect if he were still a prisoner of the mummy priestess," said Hakam. "Where is Szordrin?"
"He climbed back onto the ship," said Leokas.
Indeed, Szordrin had wasted no time in reading a scroll for a spell that would reveal to him the mysteries of the chair's magic. Among other details, this is what he learned.
The chair drained whoever sat in it of all magical power for a full day, even temporarily wiping the mind of a wizard of memorized spells, and formed a bond with him or her. The helmsman's senses would be expanded to become one with the ship. For the next twenty-four hours, the vessel would generate its own lift, its own gravity, (
if no stronger gravity source was present,) and an invisible ellipsoid wall of force that would trap a bubble of air around the craft. During this time, if the helmsman remained seated in the chair, he or she could provide momentum to the ship, and pilot it by force of will. After eight hours, a new helmsman could sit in the chair and form a bond with it, replacing the previous helmsman. Anyone with magical power of any sort could pilot the
spelljammer; however, those with more skill with
the Weave or greater blessing from the gods could do so with more skill and effect.
It was also revealed to Szordrin that the ship contained a large plate of star metal embedded in one of the lower decks. This plate was the center of the bubble of air and gravity that the ship produced.
Szordrin shared this information with the others, and they discussed who should try to pilot it first.
"I should sit in it first," said Hakam. "With my powers still stripped, it is likely that I shall fail, but if I succeed, none of the rest of you will have to sacrifice your magics."
As predicted, the chair did not respond to Hakam sitting in it at all.
"I can pilot it later," said Belvin, "but I need some of my magic for other tasks this morning."
"What other tasks?" someone asked.
"We need to wake the
minotaur sooner rather than later," said Belvin. "I am sure his bladder is much larger than
Oma's was. Also, I intend to repair the foremast, and he will be helpful in that."
"The pearl that I purchased from
Hartwick," said Leokas, "I suspect that it will restore to me the powers of the daily prayer that
Solonor permits me, if the chair strips them. It makes sense that I should pilot the vessel."
"You are the weakest among us in magical prowess," said Szordrin. "You will have the least control."
"What need have we of control?" said Leokas. "We are not maneuvering in a sea battle; we are simply flying in a straight line to a city, are we not? And I am best among all of us, save
Tavis, at following the lay of the land."
They all agreed to this plan.
"To which city are we going?" asked Belvin.
"
Tavis and I think that
Silverymoon, the city to which
Mythlos,
Cassiera, and my mother were first heading, is our best and fastest option," said Leokas.
"It is said to be one of the largest cities of the North," said Hakam. "It will certainly have a temple to
Anachtyr."
"Then let us hurry and go there," said Leokas. He moved to the chair and sat down in it. As he pressed his head back, he felt like his whole body was immersed in warm water, and it felt like his senses were somehow exploding. He cried out, as if in pain.
"Pull him off!" said Hakam.
"No, I am unhurt," said Leokas. "It was just overwhelming. I think I understand what I am feeling now."
What he was feeling was every exposed surface of wood on the vessel as if it were his own skin, in addition to seeing from all angles at once everything within the "bubble" projected around the star metal at the center of the ship.
"Can you move it?" asked Hakam.
"I am not sure how," said Leokas.
"Recall how you walked on air on the
Great Glacier," said Szordrin, "from Hakam's magic. Perhaps it is similar."
The ship jerked forward, nearly knocking everyone over.
"Yes, I can do this," said Leokas.
"Not yet!" said Belvin. "
Kamil is still on the surface."
"I shall go ask
Tavis if he can carry the camels on his shoulders up the rope," said Hakam.
The
firbolg had no problem doing so. The large animals were then leashed securely to the upper deck. Meanwhile, Belvin went to the cabin where they had placed Solisar and Kytharrah's bodies.
Ilthian was there besides Kytharrah, stroking his fur and speaking to him, though the
minotaur made no response besides occasional pained lowing. "Move away," said Belvin, "and I will wake him."
Ilthian obeyed, and Belvin chanted a prayer over the beast.
Kytharrah jumped up with a start, smacking his head into the ceiling, cracking it, and getting his horns stuck. "No! I was good," he shouted pitifully, flailing his arms in an attempt to escape the debris that had endlessly crushed him in his dreams.
"You are safe, big brother!" said
Ilthian. "You are not trapped."
Kytharrah stopped thrashing and dislodged his horns from the ceiling with his paws. He seemed confused still, but his relief was palpable.
"You were only dreaming," said Belvin. Then he turned to
Ilthian. "Keep an eye on him; he will only be awake for nine hours, and then he will fall suddenly into a deep sleep again. Make sure that he does not fall off the ship or crush someone when that happens."
"I am never sleeping again!" declared the
minotaur.
"Nine hours is a long time from now," Ilthain replied to Belvin.
"I am telling you now in advance."
Ilthian nodded.
With Kytharrah and
Tavis holding the cracked main mast in place, Belvin used
Thard Harr's magic to repair and seal it. When he finished, it seemed as good as new.
Before they "sailed", Szordrin tested out what would happen to his magic rope trick if cast while upon the deck of the ship. When Leokas moved the vessel forward, the rope continued to hang in the same spot in the sky. Once the ship had moved entirely out from under the rope, it suddenly fell to the ground.
"Well, that is unfortunate," said Szordrin.
The
spelljammer was equipped with a small deck catapult and two small ballistae, all magically preserved and in good condition. Each ballista was loaded with a single large bolt, but there were no stones for the catapult. They sent Kytharrah out to grab a collection of large rubble to use with it, if they somehow were attacked from the sky. He took his job very seriously, and returned with several well-rounded stones that fit the catapult nicely.
Once the mast was repaired, the camels and gear loaded, and the catapult stones set in place,
Tavis and Kytharrah heaved up the anchor. Leokas sat back in the helm chair, and the preserved ancient sails billowed out, blown by Leokas' will to move the ship forward. Leokas' desire to move forward caused these magic winds to blow perfectly parrallel to the length of the ship, but the sails were not positioned properly to drive the ship forward. Instead, the
spelljammer drifted through the sky more to the northeast. Since none of them except Solisar, who was of course unavailable, knew how to sail, it took them about an hour to get the ship moving in the direction that they wanted. Ultimately, Leokas started willing the ship to go in a direction slightly offset from the one he truly wanted, as if aiming an arrow in strong wind. At last they were off, hoping to reach
Silverymoon before a day had passed.
The voyage took a little more than 21 hours of constant sailing.
Tavis estimated that they were traversing over the surface of
Faerûn at about 17 miles every hour. When Leokas tired of controlling the winds that moved the ship, Szordrin replaced him so that the
wood elf could rest. Belvin had spent much of the journey scanning the sky for dragons or other fell monsters with his magically enhanced vision. The skies, however, remained clear throughout the day. Kytharrah stood at the deck railing, enjoying the thrill of flying again, the wind blowing his fur about. It had been some time now since he had flown in a net carried by
veserabs.
Ilthian, true to her word, kept watching Kytharrah carefully, telling him constantly not to stand so closely to the edge because he might get sleepy again. He would listen to her and back off, only to seemingly forget and be back at the railing again.
Closer to the end of the day, she was able to convince the
minotaur to come study with her. Szordrin had offered to continue her reading and writing lessons. Thus, thankfully, when Belvin's wisdom-granting spell wore off and he passed out again, Kytharrah was not at the railing. After an instant of protest, his body crumbled to the ground with a thud.
It was now just before dark.
Tavis dragged Kytharrah's massive form below deck, and
Ilthian retired to what would have been the captain's quarters, which
Tavis insisted that she have to herself. Szordrin rested in his hammock, strung between a mast and a support beam below deck. The others had their usual bedrolls.
They had retraced their path back to
Ascore, flying due west. It was not hard at all to find the ruined dwarven city along the cliffs at the end of
Anauroch. What stood out the most was the massive black dome of darkness from whatever it was the
Shadovar were doing below.
From
Ascore, they had followed the road back to
the Fork as best they could and then followed
Fork Road from the sky west through
Old Delzoun into
Sundabar Vale. This took them between two mountain ranges, the
Rauvin Mountains to the north and the snowcapped
Nether Mountains to the south. They were in lands where none of them had ever been before, but between Leokas and
Tavis, they were able to guess where they might be, and
Fork Road grew wider and easier to follow from the air the longer they continued westward.
Fourteen hours into their voyage, they flew over the citadel of
Sundabar. Once a dwarven fortress,
Tavis told them, much like
Citadel Adbar farther northeast,
Sundabar was now a human and dwarven city. Even at night, they could make out the double walls with the large moat between them. They stopped briefly overhead, deciding what route to take from here. By moonlight, Belvin could make out a road below continuing west from the fortress-city, but Szordrin could not see it, and he would be the one piloting the ship from here to
Silverymoon. Instead, they decided to follow what they believed to be the
River Rauvin. It seemed to start a short distance south of
Sundabar from the intersection of two smaller rivers, and it flowed through a hilly pass in the
Nether Mountains.
Tavis and Leokas both were certain that
Silverymoon was on
the Rauvin; neither was certain that this river south of
Sundabar was
the Rauvin, but at least Szordrin could make it out from the sky.
As Szordrin piloted their
spelljammer, they passed over some violent rapids and a dimly lit town before following the ever-widening river as it snaked through the snowy hills of the mountain pass. On the other side, it turned and flowed more westerly, passing several towns and villages on a flat, snow-covered valley south of the
Nether Mountains and north of a massive, seemingly endless woodland to the south, that must have been the
High Forest, Leokas' old home.
After four hours at the helm, Szordrin stopped the flying craft, as they came over a city on the river. He slowly lowered them to get a closer look.
"While larger than any city I have ever seen," said
Tavis, "I do not think it is
Silverymoon.
Silverymoon is supposed to have a famous silver-arched bridge, of which I see no sign here, and it lies west of the
Nether Mountains. See, we still have not fully rounded them."
Leokas, having just come out of trance, joined the discussion. "It must be
Everlund," he said, "the closest human city to the northern borders of my forest. My mother and the others will likely pass through it on the way to the
High Forest, but I doubt that they have even reached
Silverymoon by foot yet. We should continue down the river; see, it curves sharply to the north here. It is 50 miles to
Silverymoon from
Everlund, I am told. We shall reach
Silverymoon before night's heart ends."
Three hours later, they indeed approached an even larger city, built on both sides of the river and sparkling in the light of the moon. Szordrin lowered the
spelljammer until it came to float in the wide, icy river some three miles south and upstream from the city. He moved the ship as close to shore as carefully as he could, hoping they would be hidden by tree cover from any late-night travelers that might pass on the shore. In the cold of winter and the middle of the night, they did not expect anyone to be about. They woke
Tavis, and he dropped the anchor.
The plan was for only Hakam to enter the city with Leokas as his escort. Temples tended to be open all night long; if they could find a temple to
Tyr, Hakam was certain a priest could also be found.