Douglas Niles - The Coral Kingdom

"Aye-and the tide, a few hours beyond. But we'll be well away from shore before noon," replied the captain. Even Brandon seemed to bite back a trace of wistfulness at the notion of leaving the idyllic elvenhome.

But of course there was no choice, nor really did Alicia welcome the thought of any further delay in her father's rescue. It was more that the sensations of the past eight days had been so pleasant, so relaxing, that the reality of a return to their quest seemed to loom like a many-headed hydra, threatening them with a dozen different fates, all of them bleak.

"Ready to get back to sea?" asked Keane, looking surprisingly undismayed by the prospect of sailing. "It should be-"

"No, I'm not ready!" Alicia snapped, annoyed that for once Keane should be prepared to embark on an adventure while she felt a deep reluctance. She looked at his pallid skin, at the circles under his eyes. "Where have you been all week, anyway?" she demanded, knowing full well that he had engrossed himself in tomes loaned to him by the command of the queen. Alicia's frustrations welled up and, as had so often happened during her childhood and adolescence, all of that anger focused on the convenient scapegoat of her familiar tutor. "We've been sailing the seas, living outside, and you're still pale!"

The magic-user turned away, hurt, and Alicia wondered why she had spoken to him so harshly. She felt little better after her outburst; her temper still smoldered with a low flame. Why does he let me do it? she wondered, wishing that for once the man would respond to her with anger of his own.

She threw herself into the frenzy of preparation and found release for her tension there. They had water barrels to fill, food to pack and load, and a final inventory, repair, sharpening, and polishing of weapons and armor to make.

"I'm not sure I relish a return to hardtack and stale bread," observed Brigit as they looked over their provisions, which had been unloaded when they beached the longship. Now they started to pass the heavy crates back into the hull.

Before dusk of that last night in the elvenhome, one of the great cargo canoes sailed into the grotto, propelled by its usual complement of elves. Trillhalla and Palentor stood in the bow, and as it neared the dock, the humans saw a wide variety of foodstuffs-melons of all sizes, large wheels of cheese, kegs of butter and honey-piled high in the center of the boat.

"A gift from Queen Amlaruil," announced Trillhalla, stepping lightly onto the dock. "Delicacies for the palate that may make your journey a little more pleasant."

Palentor stepped out of the canoe, bowing to the humans. The male sea elf looked remarkably unhostile, which is not to say he appeared friendly.

"The provisions of Evermeet are famed throughout elvendom," he said stiffly but with a real effort to control his arrogance. "The queen-that is, we-hoped that you would enjoy them as you embark upon this final leg of your quest."

"Your generosity-and your queen's-is overwhelming,"

Robyn said sincerely. She took a few steps forward, standing directly before the sea elf and staring into his eyes. "Thank you, Palentor."

The mottled green of the elven warrior's face darkened, and Alicia wondered if he blushed. He bowed with great formality before speaking.

"Perhaps … perhaps I should thank you," he said. "We live in great isolation here on Evermeet. Indeed, isolation is the key to our survival. But you have shown me that not all humans are rapacious destroyers as we have been taught.

"Your courage is obvious, and your skill-setting out for Evermeet and actually reaching our shores-is something that no ordinary creature would dare to do." His gaze shifted from Robyn to Alicia, who was staring at Palentor in surprise. "I hope that you find your father," he said.

"Thank you," was all the princess could reply, but suddenly the resumption of their quest became the most important thing in the world.

"The armies of the deep?" inquired Brandon. "Do they still await us beyond the cyclone belt?"

"Aye," replied Palentor. "They have gathered in greater numbers than I have seen. …"

It seemed that the sea elf had not completed his statement, though his voice trailed away. He regarded them carefully, and they sensed that he was trying to decide what to say next.

"There. . there is a way around them," he finally announced. "A concealed passage through the reefs along the eastern shore that you could follow to the south, passing west of Belintholme, the Guardian Isle. That course should carry you around the cordon."

"How well concealed?" wondered the captain grimly.

"Perfectly. No charts have ever been made. It is mapped only in the minds of a few elves who have spent much of their lives in those waters. Anyone who tried to sail it without such an elf as a pilot would find himself-well, much as we found you-high and dry, a mile off the shore of Evermeet and going nowhere."

"The pilot, then. .?" Brandon prompted.

"These passages are keys to the final defense of the elvenhome!" Palentor snapped brusquely, as if he desperately wanted them to understand. "Nevertheless, the queen has placed it in my discretion. If I choose to provide you with a pilot, she has granted you permission to sail the secret ways."

They waited, curious and tense. Alicia wondered why he had told them this much. She was sure Palentor's rabid belief in the sanctity of Evermeet's defenses would prevent him from allowing the humans to sail those concealed channels.

"You, Sister Knight, have shown me much by your example," continued Palentor, stealing a look at Brigit. "As you know, your staunch defense of Synnoria through the past centuries has not escaped our notice. Yet if one who has devoted her life to preserving the sanctity of an elven land sees fit to welcome humans there, perhaps there is good cause. I see now that there is.

"I will lead you along these paths," concluded the sea elf in a sudden rush of words. He glared at them for a moment, as if challenging someone to dispute him, but even so Brandon's reaction took him by surprise.

"I knew it!" boomed the northman, stepping forward to clap the much smaller elf on the shoulder. "You're all right, you know that, Palentor?"

The sea elf was too astonished to reply, but he smiled hesitantly as the crew raised a cheer. The elves produced great baskets of fruits and kegs of sweet wine, and the grotto rang with celebration, music, and dancing late into the night.

Alicia joined Robyn, Trillhalla, and Tavish on a blanket near the roaring bonfire. Keane and Brandon, and later even Palentor, came over to join them. The wine flowed sweetly, and as darkness settled across the grotto, the voyagers rose to a spirit of celebration.

"To our hosts! Their generosity stands as a shining example to all the Realms!" proclaimed Robyn, raising a crystal goblet of red wine. All the crew joined in the solemn toast.

"And to our guests," replied Trillhalla. "May their endeavor be blessed with success."

Thoughts of that endeavor again propelled Alicia. She felt certain now that, if her father lived, they would find him. Yet in the fellowship of the fireside, the camaraderie of their last night on Evermeet, she felt a growing wistfulness. The thought of her companions gave her strength, and she resolved to throw herself into the resumed voyage with every ounce of her energy.

"Where's Hanrald?" the princess wondered at one point when the company was well into their second cask of wine.

Brandon looked at her, his expression sly. "He's gone for a walk with Brigit, I think-at least, I saw them amble off together a few hours ago."

The princess looked around, trying to suppress her sudden shock. In truth, she had noticed the bond that had seemed to slowly develop between the couple, and every time she thought of it, it puzzled her. She felt a flash of jealousy toward the elven woman, a feeling she recognized as irrational, but it remained with her nonetheless.