'Wait,' Teldin interrupted. 'The others…'
'The wounded are already below,' the first mate answered. He patted Teldin's shoulder in a comradely manner. 'Don't worry. We'll take good care of your, uh, men.'
Dana snorted but, to Teldin's relief, made no comment. Horvath gave him a friendly wink as they followed Aelfred's broad figure. Teldin stopped at the head of the companionway that would lead him belowdecks and glanced back at Estriss. The illithid was watching him… and a smaller figure was watching him, too. A tiny face, with green reptilian skin and stubs of horns on its brow, peered out from behind Estriss's robes. It must have been there all the time, Teldin realized, whatever it was.
Aelfred reappeared in the companionway. 'Hoi,' he called to Teldin. 'You coming?'
'Sorry,' Teldin mumbled, and he turned to follow the first mate.
Aelfred glanced past Teldin at the illithid and shrugged. 'You're the captain,' he said in answer to an unspoken order, then disappeared below.
Estriss's 'voice' sounded in Teldin's mind again. You wonder about the kobold?
The mind flayer reached down and laid a red-purple hand on the small creature's head. It gazed up trustingly at its master and stepped out from behind the shelter of the illithid's robe. Teldin looked at the kobold with interest. It stood about three feet tall, with a squat, barrel-shaped body and short but powerful legs. Dressed in a coarsely woven jerkin-from under which protruded its vestigial tail-it resembled some twisted parody of a human child. Once more it turned its trusting eyes on Estriss, and it took a fold of the illithid's robe in its short-fingered hand.
I charmed it, Estriss explained.
'Why?'
The illithid gestured with its tentacles in what might be its equivalent of a shrug. It is my food, it replied. When I hunger, I will eat its brain.
The kobold calmly squatted down on the deck, still holding on to the robe as a child might cling to its parent's clothing for comfort. Teldin stared at the kobold, then the illithid.
Kobolds are enemies of my kind as well as yours, Estriss's mental voice told him calmly.
'But…'
Estriss's words took on a sharper edge. Better that I should eat your brain? The mind flayer looked down at the kobold and stroked its scaled head once more. The small creature responded with a short, unintelligible phrase-its voice reminded Teldin of a small dog yapping- and scurried away, to vanish belowdecks. Teldin watched it disappear, his thoughts an uncomfortable mixture of emotions.
Come. The illithid had turned away and was walking toward the afterdeck of the hammership, obviously expecting Teldin to do likewise.
Teldin followed slowly. The illithid climbed the ladder to the raised sterncastle, Teldin at its heels. The creature settled itself against the aft rail and gazed out past the spanker sail. Teldin, too, leaned on the rail, a wary distance from the illithid. The planet of Krynn hung against the velvet blackness, like a large gibbous moon. The distance was too great for Teldin to pick out any details… and was growing greater with every heartbeat. Home was slipping inexorably away.
You are from Krynn. Teldin started when the liquid syllables formed in his brain.
'Yes,' he replied.
Then how do you come to be aboard a gnomish sidewheeler- again there was that faint touch of detached humor-particularly one so fickle? The illithid turned and fixed him with its featureless white eyes. I ask only out of curiosity, I intend no insult, but I think you have no familiarity with ships, or with wildspace. Is that so?
Teldin hesitated, wondering exactly how much to tell the creature.
You flee something, I feel.
It was Teldin's turn to stare at the illithid. Can it read my mind? he asked himself. It-Estriss-had said it couldn't, but how far could he trust such a monstrous being? 'Yes,' he said at last.
It must be something you fear greatly. Wildspace is rarely a safe haven… as you know from recent experience. The illithid shrugged its shoulders-a human gesture, but one that brought home to Teldin how… alien… its body structure was. Bones jutted under the robe in anomalous places, like a man who'd had both his collarbones-and maybe his neck- broken. He shuddered, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Well, the illithid continued, turning its gaze once more to the planet falling ever farther astern, I trust you will tell me sometime, when you feel more comfortable in my presence. The mental voice fell silent for a moment, then continued. You fear me, is that not so? You see me as a monster?
'Yes,' Teldin answered truthfully. 'You're so… different. We were told… When I was growing up…' He wasn't sure how to continue. 'I was taught to fear things that were different,' he finished lamely.
How typical of so many small minds, Estriss replied, a quiet, speculative quality to the illithid's 'voice.' Generalizations are often dangerous. Some of my kind prey on humans, that is true, but then, so do some humans: pirates, bandits, marauders, those who attacked you, for example. Would it do to judge all humans based on the actions of a few? While some planet-bound illithids consider humans as cattle, I think you are not of the cattle. I think you know much. I think you have many stories. I would like-the humor was back again-I would like to take your thoughts. Not now, perhaps, but at some point in our voyage together. I would like to hear your stories. And you may take my thoughts in return. It seems to me that we might each have something to teach die other. The illithid lapsed into mental silence.
Teldin cast a sidelong glance at the creature. Estriss, he mused. What could you teach me? To stay alive? But at what cost? Then he paused. The creature beside him was a braineater-it had admitted it-and showed neither pride nor shame in the admission. It was alien, yes… but was it a monster? Monsters don't discuss the philosophy of prejudice, nor offer to exchange tales. He'd have to think about this.
The illithid stirred again, its blank eyes still on the distant planet. Why do you travel into wildspace? it asked. For a particular reason? Or just because wildspace is not Krynn?
More than ever, Teldin was convinced that the mental tone of the last phrase was the creature's expression of humor. But it was still a question he didn't feel comfortable answering. Or was it the answer itself that made him uncomfortable? 'Why are you heading to Realmspace?' he countered.
If the illithid cared about-or even noticed-Teldin's blunt attempt to change the subject, it gave no sign. Again it gave a broken-backed shrug. I have business on Toril, Estriss replied. The city of Rauthaven, if you know of it. There is an auction of items… The mental voice paused-almost shyly, it seemed to Teldin.
'Items… ?' he prompted, interested. What would a mind flayer be embarrassed about?
My life's work. Perhaps-if it interests you-we could discuss it… at a later date….
Teldin looked at the creature beside him with renewed interest. Monsters don't want to discuss prejudice. They don't have a sense of humor… and they certainly don't get embarrassed talking about their life's work.
Well. Estriss's mental voice was brisk again. I must discuss our course with the helmsman. We can continue our conversation later if you wish.
Teldin nodded. 'I'd enjoy that,' he said… and he was telling the truth.
*****
Belowdecks on the Probe was quite different from on the Unquenchable. The overheads were higher-Teldin wasn't putting his skull at risk whenever he moved-but the companionways were much more cramped. Certainly there was nothing like the little 'snug' where Horvath had drawn him a pint of ale. The companionways and ladders-and what few compartments had their doors open-were
