Chapter Twenty-Four – Leaving the Palace

  Luxaday, 12 Tamihr, Year of Folivor the Restful Sloth, 489 years AWA

  Royal Palace of Andovarra, Candibaru and Afa Masina, Andovarra

  Palace corridors gave way to morning sunlight as Sondil led them through the royal gardens. Late spring blooms created a tapestry of color—deep purple hellebore nodding in the breeze, lilacs perfuming the air with their sweet fragrance, bright pansies and primrose adding splashes of vibrant color among the more subtle columbines.

  Wenthe and Monoffa walked together a few paces ahead, the Catfolk alchemist pointing out various plants. "The purple ones smell like singing," Monoffa said, her tone dreamy. Wenthe's ears flicked back briefly before she caught herself. "Do they now?" It came out more patient than puzzled—she was getting better at this, even if the synesthesia still caught her off-guard. Nine years of friendship meant working through the strange new additions.

  Kere paused to breathe deeply, her senses attuned to the lily of the valley hidden beyond the lilac bushes. The scent brought memories of forest glades and quiet streams. She found herself wondering whether the Catfolk sorcerer’s enhanced senses were picking up fragrances and colors the others missed entirely.

  Jenna's eyes automatically swept the garden's shadows and alcoves—old habits—while Cali walked with the serene appreciation of someone who saw divine beauty in growing things. Even Neric seemed inspired by the visual feast, probably already composing verses about royal gardens in his head.

  Jenna found herself walking beside Cali, the cleric's serene presence somehow making the morning feel less weighted with uncertainty. "The dream," Jenna said quietly. "You seemed less surprised than the others."

  Cali's expression remained peaceful, but something flickered in her jade eyes. "Shared dreams aren't unheard of among those touched by Celestial power. But this felt... different. Older."

  Sondil then led them out of the gardens through a gate and in the general direction of the stables. Perx was the first to notice a stone circle about thirty yards to the south of the stable with two armored figures and a robed figure standing nearby. To the right of the stone circle were flags in maroon, navy, green, gold, silver, and deep purple, spaced about twenty feet apart.

  As Sondil led them in the direction of the stone circle, Wenthe asked, "Those flags—" Wenthe's mind immediately fixated on the neat row of colored banners. "Location markers for different border teleportation points?"

  “Yes,” replied Sondil. “Though we don’t have enough strong wizards willing to relocate to make use of all of the flags at present.”

  When Sondil confirmed her guess, she pressed on with typical enthusiasm. "But why not permanent portals? Seems more efficient than relying on stationed mages—oh." Her ears flattened slightly as the tactical implications hit her. "Right. Security risk. Permanent portals mean permanent vulnerabilities."

  "That's right," replied Sondil, making a small notation in his notebook—apparently tracking which security details he'd explained. “If an enemy breaches our border, we’ve now handed him an easy way to march on the Palace, not to mention Candibaru itself. Better to keep mages stationed there and here who can cast the Teleport spell. It’s still a risk, just a much smaller one. Plus, the only spell that can be made permanent is Teleportation Circle, which is…oh, I forget the level now, but it’s the highest one. And it costs more than twenty-thousand gold worth of diamonds to make permanent. “

  She nodded approvingly. "Much better to control access through personnel rather than infrastructure. Harder to compromise, easier to shut down if needed."

  “Plus, for a spell that high, there’s probably an additional cost in diamonds to just cast the thing,” Perx added.

  “Probably,” agreed Sondil.

  Jori's tactical assessment was immediate. "What happens if hostiles take Afa Masina?"

  "The portal can be deactivated for up to ten minutes at a time." Sondil gestured toward the three figures by the stone circle. "We keep a mage and guards stationed here constantly."

  Wenthe's ears flicked forward. "But that assumes you get warning. What if the attack is fast?"

  "Barijan is our closest neighbor to the south, with the easiest access to Afa Masina." Sondil's tone suggested he'd walked through these scenarios many times. "We've never had difficulties with their military—only occasional rogue groups making incursions. The risk from that direction is minimal."

  "And if 'minimal' isn't enough?" Perx asked.

  Sondil's expression hardened slightly. "We can dispel the portal permanently. Expensive to re-establish, difficult to find mages who can cast Teleportation Circle, but better than handing enemies a route to the palace."

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  About that time, the group neared the stone circle. Both the guards and the mage bowed to Sondil and one of Sondil’s guards spoke to one of the two guards at the portal briefly, who then nodded and gestured that the group was to proceed. Sondil himself took a moment to gaze at the group, mentally counting heads before nodding to himself. Eight companions, two guards, himself. Everyone accounted for.

  As they arrived at the stone circle, the mages in the party became aware of a faint, almost imperceptible shimmer in the air right above it. Sondil stepped onto the stone circle, then the rest of the companions followed.

  The stone circle's shimmer grew more pronounced as they stepped onto it. Monoffa's ears swiveled, catching harmonics that weren't quite there. Cali steadied herself with a quiet prayer. Perx's eyes remained fixed on the magical mechanics even as reality twisted around them.

  The world folded—and snapped back into place with jarring suddenness. Afa Masina's brighter sunlight hit them, the mountain-filtered air of Candibaru replaced by salt-tinged harbor breezes.

  Sondil pulled out a pocket watch, checked it against the sun's position, and made a small notation. Still on schedule.

  The bustling port city enveloped them with its chaotic energy. Wenthe's nose twitched at the mingled scents of salt-tinged air, rope, fish, tar, and spices. Neric looked around with obvious delight at the new audience for potential performances. Jenna automatically noted exit routes and potential threats among the dock workers, sailors and merchants moving about their business, while Perx squinted against the brighter coastal sun.

  One of the guards began making his way toward the harbor while the other one waited for the companions and Sondil to follow, taking up the rear behind the party. The lead guard was clearly familiar with the town of Afa Masina, and within half a bell the party arrived at a berth on the harbor where a clean-looking square-rigged caravel was docked. The ship had a square rigging on the foremast and lateen rigging on the other 3 masts. It had the figurehead of the head of a roaring jaguar on the bow, and the name The Danrorr’s Fury was carved on the stern.

  “Oh!” gasped Cali with the enthusiasm of someone who had just discovered a bit of hidden meaning. “The ship is named after the god Danrorr, god of strength and adventure. How appropriate!”

  The guard led them up the gangplank and onto the ship, and everyone except Kere boarded the ship, Sondil pausing to check something off in his notebook once he was on board. The guard who had been trailing the group gave her a concerned look. “Is there some difficulty, miss?” he asked her politely.

  Kere met his eyes levelly. "I need to summon my dolphin. Prince Sondil arranged for us to arrive early specifically for this." The gentle reminder that she was following the prince's plan carried just enough steel to establish she wasn't causing delay through carelessness.

  Seeing another guard watching him with a frown from the deck of the caravel, the second guard replied, “We must depart with the tide, so please make haste.”

  Kere noticed the harbor's choppy wake from passing vessels and chose a calmer spot near the ship's hull to dive into, mindful that Meri preferred steadier water for their reunions. Surfacing only long enough to take a deep breath, she ducked below the surface and blew her whistle for a longer blast, a short blast, another longer blast, and finally a second short blast.

  When she surfaced again, the second guard asked her, “How much longer might your summoning require? The captain grows anxious about the tide.”

  “Hard to say with certainty,” Kere admitted from the water, and the second guard took on a look of frustration. “I’ve never summoned her from the harbor here before. Had we been given some lead time about this trip, I would have practiced with her. We were literally offered this job to escort the prince just last night. But I am hoping it won’t take more than twenty minutes for her to arrive.”

  Sondil stood slightly apart from the group, periodically checking his pocket watch against the tide tables he'd studied that morning. His expression remained neutral, but his fingers tapped once against his notebook—the only sign of concern about the schedule.

  Monoffa watched the exchange between Kere and the guard and quietly observed to Jenna, “That guard has spikes of flying metal that taste like bitter roses.”

  The second guard nodded, and a few minutes later the first guard came down the gangplank and conferred briefly with the second, then they both stood on either side of the gangplank. About eight minutes after that, Meri swam up and splashed in front of Kere, who tossed her a herring. Meri chittered up at Kere. “Guard ship,” Kere told her, pointing at The Danrorr’s Fury. She had chosen not to cast Speak with Animals, but she’d been working with Meri on the Guard command. Her dolphin hadn’t mastered it yet, so she had to hope she’d been understood. Exiting the harbor and taking a moment to walk up the gangplank, Kere came over to the edge of the ship and tossed another herring to her dolphin. “Guard,” she told her, patting the side of the ship. Meri squeed happily up at her.

  Sondil made a final checkmark in his notebook and closed it with an audible snap of satisfaction. Everyone aboard, dolphin summoned, departure on schedule. He allowed himself the smallest nod of approval.

  The captain had been watching from the quarterdeck, arms crossed, expression unreadable. When Kere climbed aboard, he approached with the measured stride of someone who owned this vessel in every sense that mattered. Grey eyes assessed her—not hostile, but thorough.

  "What are you doing?" His accent was slight, unfamiliar, the question carrying genuine curiosity rather than challenge.

  “Trying to get my dolphin Meri to follow us. I was told Prince Sondil had us arrive here early so I’d have time to summon her.”

  “Your dolphin?” the man asked with a sardonic grin. “Really?”

  Kere studied the captain's weathered face, taking his measure before answering. "She's my companion. Been working with her for nine years now." She kept her tone even, neither defensive nor boastful.

  The captain's eyebrow rose slightly, inviting her to continue.

  "Meri can alert us of dangers in the water, scout ahead, fetch things, carry messages between ships, help with rescue if someone goes overboard." She ticked off the abilities without fanfare. "Useful skills for a sea voyage."

  She glanced toward the water where Meri circled the ship. "She understands basic commands, but she's not a trained animal. More like a partner who happens to be a dolphin."

  The bearded captain crossed his arms, studying both Kere and the dolphin circling below. "Nine years, you said?" His grey eyes tracked Meri's movements with the assessing gaze of someone who'd seen plenty of sea creatures. "She respond to combat situations, or just the friendly stuff?"

  Kere replied, “She’s pretty good about giving warning if she senses danger, and she’ll fight if she can, particularly if I’m in danger in the water, but she’s not really a fighting animal.”

  Rasharo nodded approvingly. "Good enough. Smart captains use every advantage." He turned toward his crew with the brisk efficiency of someone used to command. "Cast off the bow line! Prepare to make way!" His voice carried easily across the deck. "We've got tide and wind—let's not waste either."

  The deck shifted beneath their feet as The Danrorr's Fury pulled away from the dock. Canvas snapped overhead, sails filling with wind, and the gentle harbor rocking gave way to the deeper, more purposeful roll of a ship bound for open water.