Tim Waggoner - Forge of the Mindslayers

Still, wherever the elfwoman had kept her ship hidden, she couldn't have been too difficult to locate. After all, Makala had found her. The evidence lay right there on the deck before her: a large obsidian sarcophagus with strange runes carved into the sides. This was the object Makala had said she needed to move onto the Zephyr before she could accompany them on their rescue mission. Even knowing that Makala wasn't human, Asenka still had a difficult time imagining the slim, petite woman moving something so massive onto the ship by herself, but the sarcophagus had already been on the ship when Yvka sailed her from her hiding place and picked up the rest of them at the dock, which meant Makala had been able to move the object, presumably by herself, in a short amount of time.

Asenka gazed up the obsidian sarcophagus and shuddered. The lid was closed and Makala rested inside; asleep or awake, Asenka didn't know. Makala had shut herself in before the Zephyr left Perhata, saying that she could only tolerate sea travel while sealed within the stone coffin. She'd also made it clear that due to the enchantment on the box, she couldn't open it from within. One of them would have to open it for her. Given the sort of creature Makala was, Asenka didn't think it would be a bad thing if they never let her out, but since Makala was a friend of the others-or at least had once been a companion of theirs-Asenka decided to keep this opinion to herself. Still, she was glad the woman was shut away; it made her feel safer.

She recalled Makala's burning crimson eyes, once more heard her harsh, throaty voice. I do not want to harm you, but remember what I said. I'll do anything to protect Diran. Anything.

Asenka couldn't help shuddering anew.

Tresslar and Hinto stood at the bow of the ship, looking forward, their backs to the sloop's cabin, as well as to Makala's dark sarcophagus. On purpose? she wondered. Probably. As uncomfortable as she was looking at the thing, it had to be worse for Makala's friends, who evidently had known her when she was human.

Asenka decided to leave Yvka to her work, and still holding onto the railing for support, made her way to the bow. It was still night, but they'd sailed out of the fog and the stars shone brightly above, their light reflected like a scattering of diamonds on the surface of the Lhazaar. The sea air was cold, especially with the breeze kicked up by the Zephyr's swift passage, and Asenka shivered as she joined Tresslar and Hinto at the bow. The halfling was swaddled in a fur cloak to protect him against the cold, as was the artificer, but as she drew near, she could've sworn that the air felt warmer.

As if reading her mind, Tresslar said, "It's a minor spell. It encompasses me-and anyone standing within a few feet of me-inside a pocket of warm air. It doesn't neutralize the cold by any means, but it should keep us from freezing. I've cast a somewhat similar spell on the entire vessel. That's what's keeping ice from forming on the deck right now. Standard stuff, really."

Asenka stood next to Tresslar and immediately felt even warmer. The artificer might be overly humble of his accomplishments, but there was no denying his skill.

"How far behind are your people?" Tresslar asked.

Asenka reached inside her cloak and beneath her tunic. She wrapped her fingers around the scorpion medallion that hung from her neck, closed her eyes, and concentrated. All the Sea Scorpions wore similar medallions. They didn't permit full telepathic contact, but they did allow their wearers to gain a sense of the others' approximate location.

Asenka opened her eyes and removed her hand from the medallion. "Not close enough. We'll arrive at Demothi Island two hours before the rest of the Scorpions join us."

The Sea Scorpions' vessel, the Water Dragon, was a well-made craft and swifter than the Coldhearts' Maelstrom, but she had only minor magical alterations to increase her speed and durability-nothing like what the Zephyr possessed. The best the crew of the Maelstrom could do was sail full out and catch up when they could. At least the winds were strong this night.

Asenka went on. "The big question is, will we intercept the Coldhearts before they reach the island?"

Hinto responded. "They left Perhata a half hour or so before we did. At our current rate of speed-and given that they're sailing an ordinary ship…" He paused and looked up at the stars, as if doing a quick mental calculation. "It'll be close. If we don't catch up to them before they reach the island, we'll get there soon after."

"You sound like someone who knows what he's talking about," Asenka said.

Hinto turned to the Sea Scorpion commander and smiled. "I was born aboard a ship. I've spent more time with my feet on a deck than I have on dry land."

Asenka nodded, accepting Hinto's assessment.

"What's so awful about Demothi Island?" Tresslar said. "It must be a particularly nasty place for Haaken to take Diran and Ghaji there instead of just killing them outright."

"That it is," Asenka said. "It's the most terrible place in the Gulf of Ingjald, perhaps in all the Principalities."

Tresslar snorted. "No offense, but during my youth I traveled the length and breadth of the Principalities. These waters contain more darkness than you could possibly imagine."

Asenka bristled at first, but from the artificer's tone it was clear that he wasn't trying to belittle her but simply state what he saw as fact. "Demothi Island is dark enough. According to legend, almost a thousand years ago an evil priest named Nerthach, a worshipper of the Keeper, traveled to the island and cast a massive spell to raise all those who'd died in the gulf. His motivation for doing so is unclear. Some say he wished to create an army so that he could conquer and rule, while others say he wished to let lose a plague of undead upon the region in honor of the dark god he worshipped. Still others say that he was simply mad. Whatever the reason, Nerthach cast his spell, and it succeeded, but not in the way he intended. Nerthach was transformed into a black-rock statue that stands in the center of the island. This statue possesses two large ebon gems for eyes, and it radiates an evil power that resurrects anyone who dies in the waters of the Gulf of Ingjald. The living dead gather in the waters offshore of Demothi, and when anyone is foolish enough-or unfortunate enough-to make landfall on the island, the undead rise forth from the sea to slay them."

Hinto's eyes widened after hearing Asenka's tale and he trembled. Tresslar appeared unmoved, though she thought perhaps his face was bit paler than it had been.

"That's quite a story," the artificer said.

"It's more than that. While no one in his right mind would approach Demothi Island, in the past I had cause to sail nearby once. I peered at the island through a gem of long-seeing and…" She trailed off. "Let's just say that I saw the legend was true."

"So you think Haaken plans to maroon Diran and Ghaji there?" Tresslar said. "On an island full of undead?"

Asenka nodded grimly. "I'm sure of it."

Chagai found Cathmore and Galharath on the middle level of the psi-forge facility. This level contained the workshops where once psi-forged parts had been designed, built, and then assembled before imbuing the humanoid constructs with life. When House Cannith had abandoned the facility, they'd removed most of the materials in order to reuse them in other projects, so the workshops on this level were mostly empty, but Chagai's employer and his kalashtar assistant were here-along with a surprise. Inside one workshop, lying upon a table under Cathmore and Galharath's watchful eyes, was a construct whose body was covered with multicolored crystals.

As Chagai entered the workshop, he said, "Is that what I think it is?"

Cathmore nodded without taking his gaze off the creature on the table. "It is indeed. This is Solus, the only psi-forged this facility produced before it was shut down. As a matter of fact, he's the reason the facility was abandoned." Cathmore proceeded to tell Ghaji about how he and Galharath had discovered Solus, and what they'd learned about the psi-forged so far.