"Amber's strong," Miro said. "You know that. She's sleeping right now; Layla gave her something."
"You need to sleep too," Ella said.
"I know."
Even as Miro picked up the heavy book and helped his sister out of her seat, his mind worked. Always a man of action, feeling impotent from his inability to do something, anything, he now had somewhere to focus.
He needed to find the people who'd built the device, and he needed to find a cure for this poison. Any people with the knowledge to make this powder might also have a cure. He had to find those who had tried to murder him and those he loved most.
Miro's eyes caught a huge map of Merralya as he exited the Trenton Exploration Library. To the west of Altura the symbols of waves stretched endlessly.
"What are you going to do?" Ella asked, seeing the direction of his gaze.
"It's a short distance from Sarostar to the free cities, and then you're at the ocean. Someone from the west crossed the Great Western Ocean to make this attack. It stands to reason a voyager can cross back the other way. You don't win battles by staying on home territory."
"You don't even know where to go."
"We'll find these islands, and voyage perhaps beyond. Does Toro Marossa give directions?"
Ella nodded reluctantly. "Yes… But he never returned from his second expedition and no one since has ever tried…"
"Then it's time someone found out what's there."
"With Rorelan ailing, Altura's without a leader."
Miro felt the strength go out of him. "You're right. I shouldn't go myself. I'll send…"
"Miro, I'm your sister. I know you. You'll never forgive yourself if you don't go. The council of lords can administer Altura, and with the borders quiet Marshal Scola can take over in your stead. It's terribly dangerous, and I don't like the thought of you going, but I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now. You need to find a way to help your son."
With the prospect of action Miro felt a surge of anger run through his veins.
Someone had attacked his wedding, an attack not only directed at him, but at the Empire as a whole. With Altura's eastern borders safe, the danger in the west heralded a great potential threat to Miro's homeland.
The attack utilised a powerful chemical explosive, nothing ever seen before, and no product of lore or essence.
To make the attack as deadly as possible, the explosive was laced with a poison.
Tomas and Rorelan needed a cure.
Miro's jaw set with determination as he made up his mind. He was going to find the Ochre Isles, and follow in the footsteps of Toro Marossa. He would find these people, and get the answers he needed. The thought filled him with dread, but nothing would stop him in his quest.
Miro was going to cross the Great Western Ocean.
5
PERCHED on Altura's south-western coast, the free cities of Castlemere and Schalberg jealously guarded their independence and status as merchants and traders. Relations between Altura and the free cities were amicable — Alturans were forest and plains dwellers, and when they travelled on water it was in flat-bottomed river boats. There were no Alturan towns or cities on the coast, and the Alturan High Lord commanded no navy. It was a void the free cities filled perfectly.
History said the founders of the free cities were of Buchalanti stock, and the denizens certainly had the round features, strange names, and guttural way of speaking. Yet there were fundamental differences. The sailors and sailmasters of Raj Buchalantas gave birth, lived, and died on the sea. Their storm riders, blue cruisers and dreadnoughts were marvels of lore. By contrast the inhabitants of Castlemere and Schalberg sailed the seas in conventional, sturdy ships. They preferred the lustre of gold to the glow of runes.
The harbour at Castlemere was wide and deep enough for scores of ships to dock and berth. The wooden planks rose and fell with the tide, and the ocean breeze blew constantly, with the smell of salt strong in the air.
Miro waited with Amber, Ella and Rogan. They would part ways here: Ella would turn back the way she'd come and travel overland to Mornhaven, while Rogan would take a ship to Seranthia. After seeing Miro off, Amber would travel back with Ella as far as Sarostar, before returning home to Tomas.
Amber wanted to be by her son's side in case he woke, although Layla's opinion hadn't supported that outcome. Layla's words had been direct as only she could be: Tomas and Rorelan wouldn't wake without treatment.
Miro's conversation with the council of lords had followed the same path as the conversation he'd had with Ella. They wouldn't listen to talk of him staying, and were anxious to discover more about this threat from the sea. He knew this plan was desperately dangerous, uncertain at best, but he was resolved to do whatever he could to help his people, and the woman and child he loved.