“Land ho!”

The call reached the ears of everyone on the ship easily, as the lookout was trained to make his voice heard in any condition. Samuel and Tobi looked up in surprise, sharing a look before getting to their feet. Several of the crew followed them as they climbed the stairs to the deck, their feet shifting with the movement of the ship. Samuel was used to the motion by now, and it caused him no troubles.

The country of Zaban was barely visible on the horizon, a small dark dot that barely stood out. Samuel glanced up at the lookout, impressed the man could see so far. Though he supposed that, up in the crow’s nest as he was, he was afforded a much better vantage point. He looked down and noticed Samuel’s scrutiny. He grinned and began to clamber swiftly down the pole of the mast.

“Your eyesight is incredible,” Samuel said with a grin. “I certainly couldn’t have picked that out from this far away.”

“Well, we all got our talents, don’t we?” The lookout said with a laugh. “Mine be seeing far, yours be fightin storms and winnin!”

Samuel rolled his eyes at the comment. The crew, after getting over their awe at the feat he’d pulled off, had resorted to their affable treatment of him once more. But now they made constant jokes and references about what he’d done. They’d even come up with a few funny nicknames for him, his personal favorite being “Blustery Bragg”. Even Tobi had made a few joking comments that he should adopt it as a formal title from now on.

Despite the great distance between the ship and Zaban, the crew went to their work with a will, eager to finally reach port. Samuel shared their enthusiasm, looking forward to having solid ground under his feet. They’d been at sea for two and a half weeks, and though the storm had been their only rough patch, Samuel was starting to fear he’d forget the sensation of a bed that didn’t pitch and roll with a ship.

“Congratulations on the safe voyage, Captain,” Tobi called. “You’ve made excellent time.”

The Captain grinned back from where he stood behind the wheel. He was a modest man, but any professional took pride in their craft, and he was no exception. He’d been raised on the seas as a boy, and his navigation skills were excellent. He was a seaman, through and through.

“Why thank ya, young warrior,” the Captain said affably. “And thank ya to yer master for keeping us safe from that nasty storm.”

He turned his smile on Samuel as he said the last part, and the mage grinned back. He’d come to good terms with the crew on the voyage, not just from beating back the storm, but his and Tobi’s hard work wherever needed on the ship. The crew was used to doing all the difficult tasks on their own, and they’d been surprised that their guest, a famous character from the Guild, had been so informal. He might be thin and pale, but he was a good one, they all thought.

They had grown accustomed to Tobi much more quickly, as he was the type they were used to dealing with. He was clearly a warrior by his posture and mannerisms, and, since they dealt with port officials around the world, they knew how to deal with him from the start. The fact that he was Nihon-Jan didn’t even faze them, as many of them had taken part in trips to the exotic nation to the southeast before.

The port came into proper view about half an hour later, revealing the small crowd of people moving back and forth between the docks and the ships, either unloading or loading cargo. The great majority of the ships they could see were hefty craft like the one they were on, with a few messengers or swift-looking merchant ships. Those were the kind of ships designed to outrun pirates and were favored by gem and magic merchants the world around.

“Do we have to wait for high tide, Captain?” He asked loudly, walking over to stand beside the man so he could see more clearly.

“Tide don’t matter in Zaban,” the Captain explained. “The docks are atop a deep pool of water, deep enough that even them big warships can come in at any time.”

There were no warships in port now, Samuel noticed. He had heard that Zaban was a nation ruled by nature and that all of its residents were druids, save for those eclectic mages that lived between the lakes. The port that faced them now was developed enough, though even here the presence of nature was obvious. It was rumored, by those few people who had traveled here and been questioned by the eager young mage, that outside this port, there were no developed cities, only primitive druid colonies.

“Samuel,” Tobi asked suddenly. “Can you hide my weapon?”

Curious as to his reasoning, Samuel glanced at his apprentice. Tobi’s face was set in determined lines, and he gave a short shake of his head, sending Samuel the silent message not to ask. Shrugging slightly, he took the stout spear Tobi handed him and put it into his pocket space. Then he lazily brushed a hand against his crystalline blade where it hung at his hip and dismissed it to wherever it resided when he wasn’t using it. The rest of the crew was oblivious to their small exchange, and Tobi nodded his gratitude.

The crew scurried to hoist a flag as the port drew closer so that it would be visible to those at the docks. It was a silver owl on a blue background, the symbol of the Mage’s Guild and the college it sponsored. As they glided into the port, Samuel noticed a stir of interest amongst a body of men and women on the docks, who moved to greet it. As the ship came to a slow halt alongside one of the docks, two figures nearby cast a quick spell, and ropes flew up from the dock to mooring lines on the ship, pulling the craft in and holding it fast.

“Welcome to Zaban, Captain!” One man, at the head of a small group of armed figures, called. “May we come aboard?”

The Captain made a quick gesture to his men, and the long gangplank was hauled over the gap between the ship and the dock. The man who had called paced up the plank, followed by a tall, fair-haired woman in long green robes. She was not armed, but she had a commanding presence nonetheless. Her sharp features, narrow eyes, and long, pointed ears gave the impression of nobility.

“I present to you Ryllae Inaro,” The man said, stepping to the side with a bow to the woman. “Chancellor of Stormbreak Harbor.”

Samuel had seen a few elves in his time, of course. The city of Milagre was a place where every civilized race could be found, either as a resident or a visitor, but elves were few and far between even there. As a race, they preferred the influence of nature, and only the most eclectic elves chose to stay in human cities for long. But he had never encountered an elf such as Ryllae Inaro. She was clothed in an aura of power and mystery, with a sense of inborn pride that he was not used to.

“I welcome you to Stormbreak Harbor, friends of Zaban,” the woman said. She had a soft, melodic voice. “May I inquire as to who this mage on your ship is?”

Samuel caught up in his own thoughts, took a moment to realize he was being, addressed by the strange woman. Thankfully, Tobi, who had guessed what was going on in Samuel’s mind, stepped forward and bowed smoothly to make the introduction. The woman’s eyes switched to him at once, but she made no move to interrupt him.

“Thank you for welcoming us, Chancellor Inaro,” Tobi said in his own formal, smooth way. “This is my master, Samuel Bragg, Archmage of Knowledge with the Mage’s Guild.”

One of the woman’s blond eyebrows went up as she studied Samuel for a few seconds. Then she smiled wryly. “Why would an Archmage travel with a cargo ship? I was under the impression that men in your position would require more comfortable accommodations than a bunk in such a rough craft.”

“I am not so assuming as to demand such luxuries,” Samuel said, hoping he sounded educated and enlightened. “Despite my title, I am a simple man. The Captain kindly agreed to take me on, and I accepted.”

His reply only seemed to amuse the woman further. “Such a humble man. You have the makings of an ancient soul, as well. I hope you maintain that perspective in the coming millennia.”

The crew of the ship and Tobi himself looked between Samuel and the woman in confusion, but Samuel understood the meaning of her statement at once. She had seen his eyes, and possibly his mana, and gleaned at once what it meant. He felt her mana swell considerably, and almost instinctively his own rose to match her. Only Tobi seemed aware of the silent test of wills between them.

After a few seconds, the woman’s eyes widened. It was only a hair’s width of movement, but Samuel caught it, and withdrew his mana at once, drawing it back into his body. Tobi took a step back from the woman, glancing at Samuel. He was clearly unnerved by what had happened and was watching Samuel for some cue.

“Well, welcome to Zaban, Archmage Bragg,” she said with a slight dip of her head. “Captain, your crew is free to step onto the docks and conduct your business. Archmage, if you would, accompany me please.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and seemed to glide down the gangplank, the man quickly moving to accompany her. After sharing a quick glance, Tobi and Samuel made a hasty farewell to the crew of the cargo ship who were all waiting nervously nearby and followed the woman. They were perhaps a hundred yards away from the ship when they caught up to the woman and her attendant. She did not glance back at them, but she spoke in a casual, polite voice once more.

“It seems that you have interacted with the new God of Nature, Archmage,” She said. “You have been blessed with his mark. Perhaps you can help us with something.”