Into the Void

steady him. 'Teldin Moore,' he called back. 'Permission to come alongside?'

'Permission granted.' He could hear the relief in Aelfred's voice. 'Just where in the Nine Hells have you been?'

The sellswords obviously had some experience working with boats. The small fishing vessel drew smoothly alongside the hammership. The port side oarsmen shipped their oars, and the boat bumped gently against the Probe's hull. Immediately, a rope ladder rattled into the longboat's scuppers. Aelfred was leaning over the hammership rail, ready to give Teldin a hand up.

Teldin gave Rianna a last, reassuring smile, then clambered up the ladder. As he neared the top, Aelfred's big fist grasped his wrist, and the burly warrior hauled him up over the gunwale rail as if he'd weighed no more than a child. Aelfred's face was split in a broad, lopsided grin. He wrapped his arms around Teldin in a hug strong enough to force the air from the smaller man's lungs with a loud huff.

'By the gods, it's good to see you alive,' the first mate said gruffly as he released Teldin. 'I wasn't sure I would set eyes on you again.'

Teldin smiled at his friend. The big man's sincerity was undeniable. How could he ever have doubted him? The relief that washed over him was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Aelfred stepped back. No, limped back. For the first time, Teldin noticed that there was a bulky field dressing on the warrior's right thigh. The first mate saw the direction of his gaze and smiled wryly. 'Aye,' he growled, 'I had a little mishap.' 'What happened?'

'What didn't happen?' Aelfred grumbled. 'When you didn't come back to the auction, I finally persuaded Estriss to go looking for you. Estriss had bought a couple of pots and boxes and insisted on dragging them along with us.' Teldin mirrored Aelfred's grin. He could easily picture the disguised illithid weighed down with his precious items. 'I knew which way you'd left,' Aelfred went on, 'so we followed. We stepped out into the alley and a couple of men jumped us, just like that.'

'Describe them,' Teldin cut in sharply.

Aelfred gave him a questioning look, but obeyed. 'I only really saw one,' he answered, 'the bastard who put two feet of steel into my thigh. Real nasty type: face like a rat, and fought like a cornered rat, too.' He shot Teldin a speculative look. 'You know him?'

That could only have been Spak. 'I know him,' he said quietly. 'Did you kill them?'

'Aye,' Aelfred replied, a little uncomfortably. 'They didn't give us any choice. All-out attack, no chance for parlay.' He shook his head. 'Anyway, no matter what you farm boys think, that kind of thing doesn't normally happen in cities. It had to mean that you were in deep trouble. I wanted to go looking for you, but my leg was bleeding pretty badly. Estriss ordered me back to the ship.' He grinned ruefully. 'I'm afraid I was a little insubordinate. He nearly had to drag me back. Good thing he did; I passed out on the way.'

'Are you all right now?'

Aelfred slapped his wounded thigh-but not too hard, Teldin noticed. 'Mending nicely. They poured a potion or two down me. I won't be doing the hornpipe for the next couple of days, but at least it'll hold my weight now.'

'What happened then?'

'Estriss was worried about you,' Aelfred continued, 'almost as worried as I was. He sent most of the crew ashore to find out what happened to you, your friends the gnomes in the lead.' He paused. 'What did happen to you?'

Teldin shook his head. 'I'll tell you when I've got time.' He looked around the ship. There weren't many crewmen visible. 'Have you got enough crew to set sail?'

'Sail, no,' the mate replied. 'Fly, yes. Why?'

Teldin took a deep breath. This is it, he told himself. 'I need to get to the Nebulon,' he said quietly. 'I need to go now.'

'Well.' Aelfred was silent for a moment. 'I'll call Estriss from below.' He started to turn away, but Teldin grabbed his shoulder.

'Aelfred.' The big warrior turned back. 'Aelfred,' he repeated, 'wait. I… I learned something. I think Estriss may be…' He took another deep, calming breath. 'I think Estriss is involved with the people who are after the cloak.'

The first mate stiffened. 'What?'

'There's a group of mind flayers who are after the cloak,' Teldin explained. He struggled to keep his voice steady, unemotional. 'I think Estriss is in with them. Or, at least,' he added, feeling it was vital that he tell as much of the truth as he knew, 'he might be. I'm afraid he is.' Aelfred was silent. 'We talked about coincidences,' Teldin went on earnestly. 'Remember? What are the odds of meeting another ship in wildspace? Next to zero, you said. Remember?'

Aelfred nodded, a little unwillingly. 'Aye,' he said.

'What was the Probe doing in Krynnspace, Aelfred? Why did Estriss want to go there?'

The burly warrior was silent for a dozen heartbeats. 'I don't know,' he said finally. 'He never told me.'

'Did you put down on a planet?' Teldin pressed.

'Yes, one of the moons of Zivilyn.'

'Why?'

Aelfred shrugged. 'There was another ship there,' he said, 'somebody that Estriss had arranged to meet on business. I don't know who, or what kind of business.'

'Why did you sail to Krynn, then?' Teldin asked urgently. He struggled to recall the conversations he'd had with the gnomes about the makeup of the Krynnish system. 'It's a long way from Zivilyn, isn't it?'

'Aye,' Aelfred answered quietly, 'about six days.'

'And did you land on Krynn?'

'No.'

Teldin nodded. The further he went into this, the more doubt turned to certainty. Estriss had to be playing a deeper game, following his own agenda. Once again Teldin felt the icy knot of fear in his stomach. 'Why did Estriss say it was necessary to approach Krynn?' he asked.

'He didn't say.'

'You just sailed near Krynn, saw the longboat being attacked by pirates, and you saved me, then you left Krynnspace again. Isn't that so?'

'That's so,' Aelfred said slowly.

'As if, in finding me, Estriss had got what he wanted?' Teldin pressed.

'That's so,' Aelfred repeated, quieter.

Teldin returned to his original point. 'I need to get to the Nebulon.'

'You'll have to talk to Estriss.' Aelfred's voice was firm, but his eyes showed doubt.

An image flashed into Teldin's mind-an image of an attacker collapsing under the lash of the illithid's mental attack. 'I can't,' he said. 'Can you take the Probe up without Estriss? Without his say- so?'

Aelfred's eyes went cold and steady, like a blade in the hand of a master swordsman. 'It sounds like you're counseling me to make a mutiny, old son,' he said softly.

Teldin paused. There was real danger now. He could hear it in Aelfred's voice. He's my friend, he told himself, but friendship can go only so far. 'I need passage,' he said carefully, 'and I can't go back into town or I'll be killed. Why would I lie about this?'

The first mate hesitated, obviously torn between friendship and duty. 'You'll have to talk to Estriss,' he said again. This time there was indecision in his voice as well as in his eyes.

'I can't, Aelfred. You've got to help me.'

Aelfred pointed to the fishing boat that was still hard against the hammership's hull. The dozen sellswords were undoubtedly just what they were: hired bravos. Nobody could ever have mistaken them for fishermen. 'If I don't help you, are they here to make me?' The big warrior's voice was casual, but ail the more dangerous for that. 'Could it be that you plan to take the Probe, Teldin? Take it at sword-point?'

'No,' Teldin shot back forcefully. 'You're my friend. You've been my friend through everything. I can no more turn against you than I can fly this ship myself.' He spread his hands in an open, disarming gesture. 'All I can do is