Chapter Seven: Necraeda
The cold air stung their faces as they rowed the boat farther away from the coastline. The seas to the north were mostly uncharted due to the extreme cold and dangerous waters that comprised them. Icebergs floated along randomly like mines waiting to destroy passers-by, and monsters of various types lurked in the depths, looking for their next snacks.
"A little more to the northeast," Zaros said, and Sliske changed course slightly.
"How strong is that magic now?" asked Sliske for the seventh time.
"Hardly anything," Azzanadra replied. "And no, I have no way of knowing how close we are."
Sliske groaned and continued rowing.
"I'm sure it's not far," Zaros replied. "No one would know about it if it's much farther away."
The boat floated on and on deeper into the unknown seas, and the color of Azzanadr*'s blue vial grew richer and brighter, while the red one paled almost to a white. "We're almost there," Azzanadra announced.
Sliske sighed. "About time."
"There!" exclaimed Zaros, and they all looked to the horizon, where a land mass was rising out of the sea. "That must be it."
They floated through the sea toward the land, and, as they approached, Zaros noticed that it was a small island. It was completely white, covered in either snow or ice. The mass was so far from everything else that Zaros could see why it had remained unknown for so long.
Sliske maneuvered the boat to the shoreline, and they hopped off onto the rocks and snow. "I wonder if there's anyone here," he remarked.
"No way to know," Azzanadra replied. "However, if there is anyone here, it would be a safe bet to say that they were Mahjarrat."
They all nodded. If there was a gate here, chances were they'd run into one. Zaros remembered Ylva, the guardian of the gate near Ikov. He hoped there wasn't another one of those around.
"Keep checking your instruments," Zaros ordered, and they walked up a soft snowy path to the center of the island.
21-Dec-2008 22:54:51