“We would also appreciate supplies and provisions,” Nicci said, “before we continue our journey. We are looking for a place called Kol Adair.”
The people didn’t immediately show any sign of recognition, but they offered to help in any way possible. As conversation buzzed in the square, Holden declared, “We’ll have a welcoming dinner tonight. Because of the season, our boats just brought in a fine catch of redfins. We can roast enough for a banquet.”
Nathan smiled. “We appreciate your hospitality, and we would dearly enjoy a good meal. Now, from whom might I request a new shirt?”
*
That night, the villagers set up long plank tables in an open festival area just above the docks in the harbor. A warm, cheery glow came from the windows of the village dwellings, and tall torches surrounded the gathering. Candle pots flickered along the wooden bridge that crossed the narrow river.
As dusk descended, people came for the welcome feast. Fat redfin fish, seasoned with sea salt and pungent herbs, roasted over coals in fire pits. The meal was accompanied with tubers boiled in large cauldrons, and a salad made of bitter flowers.
Nicci found the redfin to be a dark, meaty fish with a strong flavor. Bannon had a second helping as he talked with his companions at the long table. To their great fascination, he described the many dishes that could be made with cabbage.
Nathan had obtained a new shirt, a gray homespun tunic that laced up the front. The old wizard found the color unflattering, but he agreed that it was far superior to the remnants of his once fine clothes. “Thank you so much, my dear Jann,” he said to a short, dark-haired woman with plain features but pretty eyes. She was one of the town’s seamstresses who spun her own cloth and made garments for her family and others.
“My last tailors in Tanimura had numerous patterns and styles to choose from, countless grades of fabric, endless cuts.” Nathan heaved a sigh. “But they weren’t nearly as pretty or as kind as you.”
Jann giggled. “You should thank my husband. That shirt was supposed to be for Phillip.” A broad-shouldered older man sat next to her. Nearly as tall as Nathan, he had tightly curled dark hair and a rugged face. When Nathan asked him about the scar across his nose, he explained that a fishhook had once cut him down to the cartilage when a line had snapped.
“I have plenty of shirts, and you obviously need that one more than I,” said Phillip. “And now I can boast that the ambassador for Lord Rahl wears clothes made by my wife.” His big callused hand clasped Jann’s much more delicate hand. He savored another bite of redfin. “It’s good to feast on fish I didn’t have to bring in myself. Those days are over for me.”
Jann explained, “Phillip is a successful fisherman, but he prefers to be a boat builder. We’ve just set up a new dry dock, and he’ll be repairing fishing vessels and building a new one to sell.”
Phillip smiled proudly. “A new one that I plan to name the Lady Jann.”
“That is sure to increase the asking price,” said Nathan.
Town leader Holden stood up in the middle of the meal, and the dinner chatter died down. “We welcome our visitors from far-off lands. We give what we can and hope that the Sea Mother remembers our kindness to strangers.”
While the villagers cheered and toasted, Nicci heard some of the villagers muttering, as if they thought the Sea Mother had let them down many times in the past. She realized that Renda Bay had no armed guards, no strong military presence, no defenses whatsoever. Nicci knew that if one relied on ethereal deities to solve problems, then those problems usually remained unsolved.
Suddenly, several villagers stood up from the plank tables, gesturing toward the dark harbor. A bright warning fire sprang from the watchtower on the southern point of the breakwater. Someone threw a torch into a pile of dry wood, which swelled into a blazing beacon. When Holden saw the fire, his face fell into an expression of dread.
Looking out into the harbor, Nicci could see the ominous silhouettes of four large, dark ships that closed in on the bay with unnatural speed.
Holden looked at Nicci with a sick expression. “Where is your Lord Rahl’s protection now?”
Nicci straightened. “I’m here.”
CHAPTER 23
Villagers bolted in panic from the outside festival area. Some ran to their homes to seize knives, clubs, bows, and anything else they could use as a weapon. Nathan and Bannon both drew their swords and stood together next to the plank feasting tables, although the young man’s expression was far different from what Nicci had seen on his face when he fought the selka. This time, he looked disgusted as well as terrified.
The massive dark ships slid forward swiftly even though the night was without breezes. Each vessel had one mast with a single broad sail dyed a deep blue, so as to be invisible at night.
Nicci heard splashing sounds and the gruff shouts of men. Peering intensely into the night, she enhanced her vision with an obscure distance spell, which let her see that the four invading ships were propelled by long lines of oars. The oars cut into the water like axe blades and swept back to push the vessel forward, then lifted into the air dripping moonlight, and stabbed the water again.
Bannon’s voice cracked. “Norukai slavers!”
“Norukai slavers,” Holden echoed, then added his own shout. “Prepare to defend yourselves! It’s another raid.”
“What is it, my boy?” Nathan asked. “Who are they?”
“Nightmares.”
The slaver ships came in fast, crushing a small fishing boat as they ground up against the Renda Bay piers. A chorus of guttural, challenging shouts came from the longboats. With a chill, Nicci saw that each of the four curved prows sported the monstrous carving of a sea serpent, and she recognized the design from the crumbling wreck they had found in the sheltered cove on their first night ashore.
The four raider ships careened like rampaging bulls into the harbor. Bright orange streaks soared into the sky from the longboat decks, arced downward, and scattered upon the village, striking streets, rooftops, and unfortunate townspeople. Several fire arrows stuck into the lapped roofs of the houses and set the buildings on fire.
Water crews raced with buckets to stop the conflagration from spreading, while the rest of the defenders converged toward the docks, carrying whatever weapons they had. But even at a glance, Nicci could see that the villagers could never drive off such an aggressive raid. By her guess, the four Norukai ships held nearly three hundred warriors. She turned to Nathan. “It is up to us to fight them.”