The water in the bay of Sheld was grey, cold water. It reflected the ashen clouds overhead. As the sun set to their starboard, the crew of the Vanci Dispatch appeared from thin air. Where there had been calm waves of salty water there was abruptly the hull of a small galley, splashing into the surface and bouncing gently as it came to rest at its usual depth. Rainwater ran from the top deck into the bottom deck, or dripped down into the ocean through the grooves in the old wood.
The strange thing was, there was no rain in the clouds above this day.
Renado looked around. What happened to the storm? he wondered. He looked at Vanci; his uncle ran a hand through his soaking grey hair and looked to the east. There were mountains there, like dark clouds close to the horizon. Asar had only just sheathed his sword but Ren heard it drawn from its leather sheath again. But Ren recognized those dark hills, overgrown with foliage. “That’s Tieko’s Range,” he whispered. “This is Comet Cove.”
Vanci’s single chuckle echoed over the waves. “We’re near Sheld.”
Ren nodded. “Lower the sails. Omma, lower the sails!”
The sails of the Dispatch were quickly lowered, but the crew was acting under only half motivation. Ren included, they looked around in an attempt to understand the sudden change. One minute they’d been buffeted by the storm, nearly smashed against the rocks of the Isle of Dusk. Only one blink had passed, and now they were a hundred miles north?
“Sorcerers,” Asar said, sheathing his sword. “Sorcerers.” He paced down the deck toward Karsef.
Ren looked at Vanci. “We still have the coin. But were spared the storm…? Why?”
The Brother of Gharo put his hands on the helm and shrugged. “Let’s just get home first,” he said.
The crate nearby made for a poor seat but Ren needed to get off his feet. He hadn’t seen Johanna in months and now he was sailing into port once more. He ran a hand through his wavy brown hair and let out a sigh. He watched the distant slopes of the Range drifting past as the ship made for the horizon.
The moon began to rose as they drifted across the gentle waves in silence. Vanci broke it at last. “I wonder how angry he’ll be,” he said, quietly. Ren looked at him blankly. “I mean, if the storm has passed, a few days have passed, right? We were already running late.”
Ren just shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about it, because they couldn’t possibly get any answers about it, out here, in the middle of the Cove. Sheld awaited their early morning arrival.