War of the Words/Chapter 20

Tralin was a good as his word: the ship for Neld left within minutes of dawn the next morning. Darin was exhausted; he had barely slept the night before. He looked around his quarters with dread; he was used to comfort when traveling and would find precious little here. Not only was he in cramped quarters, but he was sharing it with the Drakel, so he would have nearly no time to himself whatsoever.

"Well," Tralin said coolly, "we have raised anchor. Would you prefer we circled harbor all day or do you plan on giving our captain instructions?"

"Me?" Darin asked, astonished.

"Of course you. You are the only one who knows where this hidden port is."

"Right," Darin said with some dismay. They were placing this fully on his head: should they not get there in a safe manner and directly, Darin would be considered to be acting in bad faith. So while ordinarily he would revel in having a crew under his command, this circumstance only served to underscore that he had no real control over the situation. "Why can't you just magic yourself there, Drakel?"

"What good would that do? I would have no foreknowledge of where I was going and would be weakened by the considerable magic required for the teleportation. Even should I arrive safely, I could not take the Frogzard Knights with me, nor could I take the army from Neld. Besides, Vandarian, you are in my care; I would not want to leave your side."

"Of course," Darin groaned, and went aboveboard to seek the captain of the vessel.