Wizard’s Return by Dan Willis

Author:Dan Willis [Willis, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7869-4025-7
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Publishing
Published: 2005-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Davyn and Rina strode through the paved streets of Thyloran toward the docks. Davyn didn’t know when the Day of Gratitude might be, so he was determined to hurry every step of the way, nearly leaving Rina in his wake. So far he’d been frustrated. The ruins of the Undertower were only about fifty miles away, but with no roads, it would be much faster to go by ship. The only problem was that it had taken him and Rina the better part of a week to find a ship to take them.

He was so frustrated that he’d almost decided to go overland when a note arrived from the harbormaster, which said he’d found a ship going in that general direction. With any luck, the harbormaster said, he might be able to convince the captain to take them.

So far, though, their luck hadn’t been that good.

Davyn tromped across the smooth, level dock toward the little building that served as the harbormaster’s office. Behind him was Rina, dressed in her armor and archer gloves. She wore the water bow slung over her shoulder and had her fighting knives strapped to her coat.

The harbormaster was a portly, middle-aged man with thinning hair and a large, bulbous nose. He sat behind a desk covered in ship manifests and dock ledgers. On a corkboard behind him, he had pinned up notices of captains looking for cargo, passengers, or crew.

“What can I do for you?” he asked.

“I’m Davyn,” Davyn said. “You sent me a note.”

“Of course,” the man said, rummaging around in the paper piles on his desk.

“There are two ships heading around the island, both leaving soon,” he said, finally finding the papers he wanted. “One, the Salty Dog, leaves tonight with the tide. The other, the Gull’s Pride, leaves in two days.”

“It’ll have to be the Salty Dog,” Davyn said.

The harbormaster frowned. “You must please yourself, of course,” he said. “But I wouldn’t board that ship for a thousand pieces of steel.”

“Is there something wrong with it?” Rina asked.

“Let’s just say it’s better to arrive late than not at all,” the harbormaster said.

“You think she’ll sink?” Davyn asked.

“You’ll be lucky if she sinks,” the harbormaster said. “She’s captained by a man named Ramus, but his crew calls him the Reef Runner.”

“Why would anyone want to sail in reefs?” Rina asked.

“For smuggling,” Davyn answered, “or piracy.” He’d learned a few things in his travels.

“That’s why I wouldn’t sail aboard the Salty Dog,” the harbormaster concluded, shuffling the papers on his desk again.

Davyn looked at Rina, but she just shook her head and shrugged.

“We don’t have any choice,” Davyn said. “Where can we find the Salty Dog?”

Without looking up, the harbormaster pointed out the room’s lone window at a ship berthed at the first dock.

“I always keep the Salty Dog right where I can watch her,” he said. “If you want to catch her, though, you’d better hurry. It looks like she’s taking in lines.”

Davyn glanced out the window and saw sailors swarming all over the masts and rigging of the ship.

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