Together they unharnessed the creature from the Llothriall.
It didn't leave immediately. Instead, it regarded them for a moment with its many eyes, running its tentacles over the Llothriall — one briefly brushing against Kelos — before it turned and swam away. They watched as the creature submerged, its great tail the last to disappear in a crash of spray.
'It's a shame Silus wasn't here to say goodbye,' Dunsany said.
'Goodbye to whom?' Silus said, emerging from below, followed by Maylan.
'The whale thing just swam away.' Ignacio said. 'It sends its regards.'
'I have some news. Katya has given birth to our son. Zac.'
'A healthy baby boy I'm pleased to say.' Father Maylan said.
'Congratulations!' Dunsany said. 'That's terrific. I'd propose a toast but I fear that we may not have time to drink it before those ships are upon us.'
'What ships?' Maylan said.
'Look up.'
'Gods! What is this?'
The ships were almost on them, sailing down the vertical drop as though gravity was none of their concern. There were four vessels, simple in design, looking much like Allantian trading ships.
As Dunsany watched their approach, his sense of perspective suddenly shifted and — for one vertiginous moment — he felt that he was about to fall out of the Llothriall and towards the ships. The horizon spun and he could no longer tell which was sky, sea or the ship beneath him. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he forced himself to look at the planks below his feet and — taking deep breaths — willed his world to be the right way up.
'Are you alright?' Silus said.
'Fine. Fine. It's just that you don't see something that doesn't make sense everyday.'
'Ho there!' Came a call, and they looked up to see the prow of a ship not more than twenty feet above their heads. 'What seas have you traversed to find yourselves at Morat?'
What seas? Dunsany thought. What does he mean what seas? Surely there are only these seas?
'The Twilight seas,' he said.
'Twilight must be very far away indeed, for it is not a place I have heard of.'
'You are on Twilight. This is Twilight.'
'No friend, this is Morat.'
'Look,' said Jacquinto. 'Wherever we are, our ship has been damaged and we need shelter while we try repairing her.'
'Of course, tie on and we'll guide you to port.'
A rope dropped down and Jacquinto and Ignacio secured it to the Llothriall.
'Sorry, one moment.' Dunsany said, as they made preparations to unfurl the sails. 'How are we supposed to follow them to port? I don't know whether you've noticed but we are at the foot of a vertical wall of water. How are we supposed to traverse that?'
'An interesting argument friend,' said the man above them. 'But to my eyes, it is your vessel that is clinging to the side of a sheer wall.'
'You know what?' Ignacio said. 'I think we should just go with this. If you begin to question it, it may hurt your brain.'
'Okay. Okay.' Dunsany said. 'Bring us about.'
As they brought the ship round to face the wall, the rope tying them to the vessel above pulled taught and Dunsany was convinced that they would be dragged into the wave, crushed beneath the weight of all that water. Instead, there was another moment of intense vertigo as the horizon tilted. Kerberos wheeled in an arc across the sky and, as it tumbled past him, Dunsany thought he saw a dark spec moving across its face. He closed his eyes against a sudden, dizzy nausea and when he opened them again, they were sailing across calm waters.
Ahead of them, he could just make out the headlands of the city. Behind them, stretching far above like an infinite wall of sea, was the rest of the ocean. Dunsany tried not to think about it, tried not to think about how they could be sailing up a frozen wave that was not a wave. Instead, he concentrated on the line of ships ahead as they guided them towards a bustling port.
As the ship guiding them docked, the Llothriall moored alongside and the captain of the vessel leaped across to greet them.
The man was dressed in dark clothes; a vest of black silk and leather breeches that were inscribed with a pattern of intertwined flowers. His ears and eyebrows were heavily pierced and Dunsany couldn't help but notice the ridges beneath his vest that told of more piercings on his torso. The captain held out a many ringed hand, the back inked with a tattoo that appeared to show the sun rising out of the shadow of Kerberos.
'Well, this is a surprise. And a pleasant one.'
Dunsany took the man's hand. 'I'm Dunsany, the captain of the Llothriall. This is my second-in-command and resident mage, Kelos. Behind us stands Silus, Ignacio, Jacquinto and Father Maylan. Below we have Katya and Emuel.'
'And Zac.' Silus reminded him.
'Yes, and Zac. Newly arrived in this world.'
'A most diverse and unusual crew,' the captain said. 'I'm Winrush Searah Jaxinion, child of Kerberos and Archduke of Morat. But you can call me Win. May I ask how just the nine of you manage to crew such a vast ship?'
'Ah,' said Kelos. 'That's because this is no ordinary ship. It is based on ancient elf design.'
'Yeah, but we sort of broke it.' Jacquinto said. 'Well, something broke our eunuch. Anyway, it's a long story.'
'Indeed. Clearly you gentlemen are tired and hungry. I think that we can converse more easily over some refreshment and a decent meal. I'd be honoured to have you as guests at the palace.'
'Palace?' Jacquinto said. 'Now you're talking!'
'That's a yes then? Splendid. Follow me gentlemen. And welcome again to Morat.'
As soon as Dunsany stepped off the gangplank and onto the cobbles of the Morat docks, his legs told him just how long he had been at sea. They felt filled with the water upon which he had sailed and on each step he overcompensated for the rolling deck that was no longer beneath him.
Kelos watched him lurch down the street for a moment, before supporting him with an arm around his waist.
'Come on, we can stagger like drunks together.'
Behind them followed the rest of the crew with Silus at the rear, his arm round Katya, who was carrying a squealing bundle close to her breast. She looked more tired than any of them, and her footing was less sure. Dunsany only hoped that Win could provide a suitable bed at the palace for her.
They followed Win along narrow streets hemmed in by tall buildings. There was a face at every window and doorway they passed. Most turned away at the first glance though, expressions of disappointment on their features, as though they had expected the strangers to be more exotic, maybe even creatures of a different race. Dunsany understood and shared their disappointment. Here they were on a previously uncharted island and the people around him could have been his fellow countrymen. The buildings that towered above them looked as though they could have been built from Turnitia stone. When they had planned the voyage, he and Kelos has been full of visions of fearsome new lands, peopled by strange beasts and promising exotic treasures. But what they had found was merely more of their own kind.
Dunsany had to concede, however, the fact that Morat rode on the back of a vast wave really was impressive.
It took a long time to move through the outer districts of the city, as Win insisted on stopping every few minutes to shake the hands of his subjects and inquire after their well-being. It seemed that he knew almost everyone they passed on a deep personal level.
'This you must taste,' he said, stopping at a market stall and handing each of the crew a small pastry, before paying the trader.
'For the love of — ' Ignacio exclaimed after taking a bite. 'Well, I think that I may no longer have any taste buds.'
