Kidu arrived at the port by wagon nearly an hour before dawn. They halted next to a simple square log building with a pole extended from the roof with a single lantern. The party of four climbed off the wagon, each member with a light pack as instructed. The driver shook hands with Menquist and wished him well before turning around to return to the city. There was an armored man already waiting for Menquist and the two went off to speak.
"Where are all the ships?" Timlan wondered. The port was empty except for a single trade-cog where men were barely visible loading burlap bags.
Kidu approached one of the laborers. He could tell they were Headlanders. "Why are you the only ship here?"
"Couldn't tell ya," the man said, wiping his brow. "It's been eerie for sure. We just wanna load this cargo and be on our way."
"We are part of the king's envoy," Menquist said. "Being that this is the only ship available, notify your captain that we will require him to take us to Sundersport."
The man nodded as he ran off to the cabin. "Captain Petey, Captain Petey!" The captain was a young man, barely older than Kidu, slender with short black hair and perhaps a little too well dressed for a seafarer. He was clean shaven with no marks of any kind upon his smooth face. He wore a red and white doublet with brass buttons and leather trims along the shoulder.
"You're young for a captain," Menquist noted.
"Been a mariner since I was a lad," he said. "Spent half my life on a deck before my father recognized my talents and saw fit to give me command of my own vessel. I'm the captain of the Runner, and I believe you heard them call me Captain Petey. You gents need a lift across the strait? Of course I am at your service. Anything for agents of the king! Ronn, be a good man and move the nets from the bench for our guests, and spread them out so they don't get too tangled again. I pray you don't mind, we've been mending our nets. You'll have to forgive our mess for the duration of our trip."
The mass tangle of nets were laid out as the group of five gathered their things and boarded the boat. Kidu and Timlan sat together.
"Something about the captain seems familiar," Kidu said.
"Look, that's the seordmeister that Menquist brought with him from Lanfrydhall," Timlan pointed.
Menquist was conversing with both the Kiennese official Belgred and the seordmeister, a tall broad-shouldered war veteran in boiled leather. He had a two handed sword strapped to his back. Kidu and Timlan sat in quiet, watching the men load the last of the cargo.
"I've never met a seordmeister before," Timlan said.
"A seordmeister has never met you either," Kidu replied.
"They're the most elite knights of Kienne," Timlan added. "There are so few of them."
"I thought we were the most elite," Kidu yawned.
"I'm curious if he had to pass an exam to become one," Timlan wondered.
"I'm curious if you've ever been anywhere where someone doesn't regret bringing you," Kidu said.
The crew began to board and started loosening the mooring line from the pier.
"How far is the ride from Sundersport to Lanfrydhall?" Timlan asked.
"Are you asking me because of all the times I've left the island and travelled to the capital?" Kidu asked. Kidu let Timlan pout for a few moments. "Fine. Normally twenty-five days if the weather allows, but for us we will be traveling light and fast. I asked Menquist the same question. From Sundersport we go down the Vale Road, making brief stops. We'll be switching off fresh horses at every stop through the Vale and Portlands."
Timlan unfolded a small map from his pack. He traced his fingers along the Vale Road and tapped his finger on every town along the road.
"The Earl of the Vale lives in Erland. That would be the first castle we'd come across. They say Ronyn the Builder used to take his holiday in Erland. You know, Erland literally means Land of the Earls in the old language. I met Earl Larthkyrk once, when he visited the Scales. He's the only Earl to have ever visited us. It was Father Qizen's birthday and he delivered a casket of wine himself. I attended to him while he was here. I wonder if he'd remember me. I'd like to visit all the provinces and meet all the Earls one day. I'm grateful you asked for me to come with you. You could have chosen anyone, certainly those more deserving. I regret any rude thing I've ever said about you."
Kidu laughed. "All you've ever talked about was your five year plan on getting to Lanfrydhall, working your way up the libraries. How's this for a shortcut? And Timlan...you are most deserving. You've given me a good ear, if nothing else."
Menquist sat down next to Timlan. "My boy when you see the Tower of Histories the first sensation you will feel is awe. More knowledge contained in a single place than any other in modern history. The next sensation is despair because you'll realize you'll never read it all. You'll be working with librarians and historians from across the kingdoms. A few of your House kin will be there, certainly. The place of the SanKai has always been with the knowledge of the world. And if you wish to meet all the Earls of Kienne then this trip is exactly for you, for there is a gathering of all the Earls in Lanfrydhall, waiting for our return."
"Not exactly what I meant," Timlan whispered to Kidu.
"There's an old fortress ruin in Sundersport that I suspect you'd like to visit," Menquist continued. "Ualyrg the Destroyer used to call that fortress home just about eight hundred years ago. Kienne is a vast country, my lad."
"And you're young," the seordmeister added, "so you've plenty time to see it."
"Ah forgive my manners!" Menquist clasped his hands. "This is Arthero, a seordmeister of Kienne. And these are Kidu and Timlan of Angshar House."
"As long as you are in my sights I will protect you, young Masters," Arthero said, his hand resting on the hilt of his broadsword.
The crew shouted and the boat began to move. Kidu had been on a boat before, but never to leave the islands. It definitely felt different, and in several ways, sad. The crew settled down, some wiping their brows. Kidu looked at the hundreds of dark burlap bags stacked on the deck. He turned to one of the resting crewmen. "What is your cargo, sir?"
The crewman let loose a toothless laugh. He was an aging simpleton with a flat face and weathered skin. "We been carrying bat droppings! He guess we smell too good, they make us wrap our arms around bat droppings! How do you milords like sharing a boat with our smelly unit!" He laughed again.
"You shut yer mouth!" one of the crew mates called. "These folk are workers for the actual king. They don't wanna look at your rotten mouth when you talk."
The crewman walked away and kept laughing. Arthero saundered over to the bench. "My lord, about this Captain Petey. Something doesn't sit right with me."
"Are you talking about that son of a nobleman?" Menquist asked. "I picked up the tone of his voice the moment he spoke. They are transporting bat droppings. Belgred!"
Belgred lifted his cap, already dozing off on the bench. He adjusted his cap and walked over.
"Belgred what are the common uses for bat droppings?"
"Bat...droppings my lord?" Belgred asked. "Well they are used extensively in the south as food for crops. The Ash Men are surrounded by dormant volcanos. Their soil is rich for growing, but they have the largest concentrated bat population in the eastern kingdoms, and they've learned to harvest the droppings for plant food. It's interesting you bring that up, because did you know that the second largest bat congregation is here in the Scales? They migrate as far north as possible and they settle here, in these mountains."
"Thank you Belgred," Menquist said. "I always get two pieces of information with every question I ask. And Timlan, I was wrong about the library in Lanfrydhall. Apparently Belgred has read it all."
Kidu scratched his smooth chin. "The flying foxes are abundant in the Scales but they live mostly in the northern mountains, in Brandarm's domain. If there is any harvesting done, it cannot be done without going through the bandit folk."
"The same folk in your prison now?" Belgred asked.
Arthero reached his hand over his shoulder and touched the silver hilt of his two handed sword. "Bat droppings aren't the only thing that smells funny. I will keep a watchful eye. We should arrive at Sundersport before mid-day. Morning will break soon."
"I bet Mazi never set sail with a boat full of bat poop," Kidu whispered to Timlan. He looked to the east. A thin glow formed behind the mountains behind the island of Sui'din as the day began. The port of Angshar started to fade to the distance. Soon he realized they were sailing toward the sunrise.
"We are moving east," Kidu said.
"Sundersport is directly south isn't it?" Timlan asked.
"We're not going to Sundersport," Kidu said. "Captain! We need to sail south!"
Captain Petey exited his cabin and looked at the skyline. "Hold on," he said, grabbing on to a rope tied to a post hook, "you're quite right. How could this be? Let me fix our course."
The captain pulled hard at the end of the rope and loosened the hitch from the hook, and a heavy weight pulled the rope down. The nets on the floor pulled up and esnared the party. Kidu crashed his mouth into Timlan's head. Arthero's swordhilt was tangled in the net. Belgred was panicking. While the others were caught in the net, Belgred was caught by one leg while the rest of him hung upside down outside the jumble of the net.
"Stop your flailing," the captain said, holding a curved fishing knife to Belgred's throat. "The less you struggle the better. And that goes for you, seordmeister."
Arthero saw the blade at Belgred's neck and stopped struggling. One of the crew men pulled Arthero's sword from his scabbard.
"Is that it? Just one sword between the five of you?" the Captain asked.
"Just the one, Skipper," one of the men responded. "Though it's a big one."
"Good," the captain said. "There's silver on that sword, don't scratch it." He pulled Belgred loose from the net. Belgred whelped after falling onto the deck. The captain pulled him to his feet and shoved him against the rail.
"An assault against the Herald is an assault against the king," Arthero warned. "The king's entire navy will clog these waters like debris after a storm."
The captain again held his knife against Belgred's throat. "The king will come after me if I hurt his herald, you say?"
"Don't," Kidu gasped.
"Then what of this poor bloke? He won't fetch a ransom, will he?" the captain said as he slit Belgred's throat.
Belgred eyes opened wide in shock. He grabbed his throat in confusion as the dark blood spilled in spurts onto his orange coat. The captain wiped his blade against Belgred's arm and shoved him over the edge.