Ilse Witch

“Only if you cheated him of his fee, and he wants to teach you a lesson. You didn’t, did you?” The Rover sighed. “Very well. Here are my credentials, since I see that my name means nothing to you. I was born to ships and have sailed them since I was a boy. I have been a Captain for most of my life. I have sailed the entire Westland coast and explored most of the known islands off the Blue Divide. I have spent the last three years flying airships for the Federation. More to the point, I have never, ever, been knocked out of the skies.”


“And should I trust you enough to believe you speak the truth?” Walker moved a step closer. “Even though you place an assailant at my back with a drawn dagger, waiting to strike me down should you feel I do not?”

Alt Mer nodded slowly, the grin still in place. “Very good. I know something of Druids and their powers. You are the last of your kind and not well respected in the Four Lands, so I felt it wise to test you. A real Druid, I am told, would sense an assailant’s presence. A real Druid would know if he was threatened.” He shrugged. “I was simply being cautious. I meant you no offense.”

Walker’s dark face did not change expression. “I take none. This is to be a long and dangerous journey, should we agree that you are the right man to make it, Redden Alt Mer. I understand that you don’t want to attempt it in the company of a fool or a liar.” He paused. “Of course, neither do I.”

The Rover laughed softly. “Little Red!” he called.

A tall, auburn-tressed woman emerged from the misty dark behind Walker, eyes sweeping the shadows, suggesting she was even less trusting of him than her companion was. When she nodded to Alt Mer, and he back to her, agreeing between them that all was well, the resemblance was unmistakable.

“My sister, Rue Meridian,” Alt Mer said. “She’ll be my navigator when we sail. She’ll also watch my back, just as she did here.”

Rue Meridian extended her hand in greeting, and Walker took it. Her grip was strong and her eyes steady as they met his own. “Welcome to March Brume,” she said.

“Let’s move out of the light while we conduct our business,” Alt Mer suggested cheerfully.

He led his sister and Walker away from the streetlamp’s hazy light and into a darkened alleyway that ran between the buildings. On the road behind them, a small boy darted past, chasing after a metal hoop he rolled ahead of him with a stick.

“Now then, to business,” Redden Alt Mer said, rubbing his hands with enthusiasm. “Where is this journey to take us?”

Walker shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. Not until we’re safely away.”

The Rover seemed taken aback. “Can’t tell me? You want me to sign on for a voyage that has no destination? Do we go west, east, north, south, up or down—?”

“We go where I say.”

The big man grunted. “All right. Do we carry cargo?”

“No. We go to retrieve something.”

“How many passengers will we carry?

“Three dozen, give or take a few. No more than fort1y.”

The Rover frowned. “For a ship that size, I’ll need a crew of at least a dozen, including Little Red and myself.”

“I’ll allow you ten.”

Alt Mer flushed. “You place a good many constraints on us for someone who knows nothing of sailing!”

“How well do you intend to pay?” his sister interjected quickly.

“What would be your normal rate of pay for a long voyage?” Walker queried. Now they were down to the part that mattered most. Rue Meridian glanced at her brother. Alt Mer thought about it, then provided a figure. Walker nodded. “I’ll pay that much in advance and double it when we return.”

“Triple it,” Rue Meridian said at once.

Walker gave her a long, considering look. “What did Cicatrix tell you?”

“That you have rich friends and powerful enemies.”

“Which are good reasons to hire us,” her brother added.

“Especially if the latter are allied with someone whose magic is as powerful as your own.”

“Someone who can kill with little more than the sound of her voice.” Redden Alt Mer smiled anew. “Oh, yes. We know something of the creatures that live in the Wilderun. We know something of witches and warlocks.”

“Rumor has it,” his sister said softly, “that you were standing next to Allardon Elessedil when he was killed.”

“Rumor has it that he struck some sort of bargain with you, and that the Elves intend to honor it.” Alt Mer cocked one eyebrow quizzically.

Walker glanced out at the darkness of Verta Road, then back at the red-haired siblings again. “You seem to know a great deal.”

The Rover Captain shrugged. “It is our business to know, when we are being asked to put our lives at risk.”