The oven was placed close to the entrance. This way the scent of food spread not only through the hall, but also to the street, attracting more visitors. The counter stood at the very threshold separating the inner space of the tavern from the street. The inn lacked the whole front wall, so that people might freely walk in from the crowd outside. Of patrons there was no shortage. Tables inside were almost full, there was also plenty of men in a hurry who ate without entering. There were circular holes in the surface of counter where jars were placed with boiled shrimp, minced salt fish, dried fruit, and similar fast snacks for that kind of audience.

The other half of visitors had the opposite problem: too much of free time to spend. Those took their seats inside and ordered proper meals. It was not only the food that was served in the tavern. Various ways of entertainment were present: music, song, and dance by local artists; dice and betting; all kinds of wine and stronger spirits; pleasures of flesh for sale. Ymdaton did not like the place. To spend an evening there was a dirty pastime. But sometimes his friends were all intent to dig in that dirt, so he could not refuse the company, while sometimes he was simply in the mood for it. It was the later case this time.

The tavern was called “The Last Blow of Southern Wind”. Crewslayer found the title too poetic for a simple drinking-and-whore-house. The place was located in a port district of Qyris, the northernmost kinani colony. The thought which led him there was rather simple: the tavern symbolized civilization as he knew it. There was an inn like that in every port district of every kinani city. Qyris was going to become the last settlement on that list. One more step to the east would bring him into savage shoreless lands. And so he became resolute to spend those last days within kinani society loudly and merrily.

His visit became somewhat more complicated. Instead of simply submerging in a drunken haze and drowning in the embrace of some girl with painted face and greedy eyes, he met an interesting person. The man who was sitting before him was named Ahamis. He insisted that he was in the east, deep in the woods. After some rounds of wine for which Ymdaton graciously paid, the stranger agreed to tell of his journeys.

“I am living for a long time in Qyris,” narrated he in a voice a bit unsteady from wine, “I moved here eighteen years ago, forced to leave Hundred Isles by circumstances better left untold. I was not looking for a way to earn coin there too long. Soon I found a merchant in need of bodyguards. My skill with blade allowed me to acquire the position without trouble. So the merchant himself arrived from core kinani islands not long before. He planned to perform a trading journey to the city in the forest. He spent a moon buying goods which were said to be rare in the east, hired some men to manage his caravan and soon we were on our way.

We studied maps. We had a guide of the forest dwellers to show us way. Still the woods managed to play a trick on us. Despite following a straight and obvious track we walked in circles for some time. We left marks, we corrected our course several time through the day, we threatened our guide so that he would have no funny ideas. Yet we could not find the way though. We were traversing the said major trading road, but met no one and it led us nowhere. Our expedition lasted for four moons, where it should have been barely one and a half. When we finally reached the city among the trees, our caravan was exhausted and starved. We never found a sound explanation why we did get lost. We brought back a great profit still.

Next journey was relatively easy. We simply reached the target town in time, traded there, took all bought goods and headed back. On our way through the woods though we were attacked. Not by men, not by beasts, but by something in between. There was so many of them, more than there are rats in the port. They were ferocious, fighting with their claws, fangs, and whatever weapons they could get grip of. Many of our men died. But we got through, thanks to me and my comrades in arms. We fought off those inhumans and allowed the caravan to escape. Despite the loss of personnel, our profit was still great, we delivered obscene amounts of gold to Qyris.

The third journey was also peaceful on the way there. That was the first time that we met the ruler of forest dwellers. Trust me, I saw a lot of weird and terrifying things in my life. Things that rose from the depth, things that walked in the south. But that one thing that ruled over these people. It was not human, it had the appearance of an animal, but it was not the animal either. Its presence was sickening, it gazed directly into souls of men. It never spoke to us, but it regarded me with but a single look which told me everything,” he paused, gulped the whole mug of wine and was silent for some moments.

Ymdaton waited the man to continue. Ahamis looked at him, his face darkened by fear.

“I won’t tell what it did convey to me. Let’s say that it knew me as good as I know myself, if not better. But it was terrifying. We barely managed to bear the few moments in the presence of this so called guardian before it grew disinterested in us and left. After this the merchant did not perform any more journeys. He sold all the goods that were acquired in the east and hastily sailed back to Hundred Isles. I stayed there, for my own reasons, living off some dirty business in the city. But I will never, at any cost, travel to the forest again, for I do not want to meet that thing. It is something that a man should not meddle with.”

Crewslayer glanced at the street and noticed that sun was setting already. He thanked the man, bought him some more wine and left, for there was a meeting that lord Azytenisar planned at the dusk. Ymdaton did not want to be late. On his way through Qyris he was thinking, just how much of Ahamis’ tale was true. Perhaps all of it, but more likely the man was just not as tough as he wanted to look. Crewslayer was to find out in mere moons. He did not believe that there was something in the forest that could melt his courage completely.

Streets were very similar to those of Isary. The city was built using the similar architecture, its blocks were riddled with canals in the same way. One notable exception was that buildings here were made of greyish beachstone, the only widely accessible material at the northern coast. He could easily spot houses of the wealthy there: their walls shone with light stone brought there from Hundred Isles.

Before long he reached Uhal, an area of the city which was granted as a temporary shelter for their expedition by the local king. Ymdaton wondered, if three dozen of houses where they resided were built just for the city guests. He suspected that these were apartments of serfs and poor men who were driven out so that the royal dynasty of Qyris may do mighty house Abeneewy a favour.

There was a square in the middle of Uhal which was already filled with warriors and other members of Azytenisar’s expedition when Crewslayer reached it. He still could not guess how his liege was planning to enforce his rule upon the savages with such a scarce force. Here they stood: High Crew, the second crew, the third, the fourth, and the fifth - five crews of armed men in Abeneewy service, some thirty craftsmen of various specialities, some twenty members of the lord’s court.

Mild cheers passed through the crowd, marking the liege’s arrival. Azytenisar walked through the ranks, followed by the same servant whom Ymdaton first met at the Abeneewy enclave. Both wore outfits made of leather and fur. In fact, all the kinani changed their tunics and sandals for warm coats and boots by now. The air was much colder there, and constant piercing wind chilled men to their bones. Lord of the house stopped right in the middle of the square, while his subordinate formed a loose circle around him.

Azytenisar waited a moment for the expedition to calm down. Then he spoke.

“Fruitful day under stars, my brave bunch. An hour ago the runner to the Obrejin returned with the answer from the people of that city. They refuse to provide us with beasts of burden in order for us to reach the Volnitza lake.”

Grumblings rose in the crowd.

“What is their excuse for this?” someone cried out.

Head of the house raised his hand, signaling his subordinate to be silent.

“As the runner says, their answer was that they refuse to steer us into our graves.”

“Big land trash trying to scare us off? I’d steer stingy bastards into their graves when I reach them!” shouted out another voice from the expedition.

Obeying to the subtle gesture of Azytenisar, Azandahy stepped forward from the ranks. He circled the gathered men with a heavy gaze and yelled.

“Whoever dares to interrupt our lord and master from now on will be sentenced to forty hits with a stick!”

The expedition fell silent while Azytenisar continued.

“Neither will they supply us with ships fitting to traverse lake Volnitza. You know that we, kinani, are not particularly fond of working animals. There are not nearly enough in this city to carry our cargo through the marshes. Fortunately, king Azyrah of Qyris was most generous to provide us with vessels designed for crossing the lake. All of our equipment, provision and goods will be transported in these ships. The ships themselves will be dragged by the road using the strength of all able men.”

Lord of Abeneewy paused, supposedly waiting for a burst of complaints. There was a solemn silence instead.

“What will happen to our seafaring vessels?” asked Abimnupal.

“Alas, we can not take them with us. Even if we dragged them instead, we would still be forced to abandon them at the opposite shore of the lake. I will leave our ships in custody of king Azyrah. He will be able to use them as he wishes as long as they stay undamaged. I, or a man empowered by my order will be able to reclaim vessels wherever it is needed. Such is our deal.

You may think this to be a dirty work unfit for us. However, that is not a humiliation, but a display of determination. We will not let a petty stripe of soil to stop us, even if it takes to carry our ships on our shoulders.

Preparations begin now. In two days we set out for the shores of Volnitza.”

And so it was. On the second daybreak the expedition moved out of Qyris. Their caravan consisted of ten ships total, each strapped with ropes to be pulled by men. From dawn to noon warriors, craftsmen, and servants used all their strength and stamina to transfer boats forward by the stone road. Then there was a time for rest for the whole second part of the day. At the next sunrise the cycle repeated again. The were close to seeing the sixth noon now.

That was not what Ymdaton expected from the journey. Dragging the flat bottomed boat by the old misty road with swamps to his both sides did not seem as the best way to achieve glory and wealth.

“What is it, Crewslayer? Do you find this work beneath you?” he heard a voice.

The servant of Azytenisar who was already familiar to him walked to the right, supporting himself with a cane.

“Do you?”

“Do you remember the order? Every able man,” said the serf while combing his white beard.

Ymdaton gave a dry laugh.

“It is not that. I just wanted to prove myself to the liege. It is hardly a place or an occasion to do so.”

“You have already proven your prowess enough at Vetluna. For now he needs other proofs. Of wisdom, of obedience, of patience,” the servant paused and then added.

“You are very alike in that regard. You and him. He also wants to prove himself, even as it is not required of him anymore.”

The warrior followed the gaze of the serf and saw Azytenisar walking at the head of the caravan. Alongside him were drevlyani messengers, warriors, and two bodyguards from High Crew. On his back was a comically massive sack.

“Those are all his personal belongings. He wanted to drag a ship with his men initially. I talked him out of it. This is not the lord’s duty. So he settled with carrying his baggage instead.”

“Why didn’t men of Qyris just build a canal? The distance is not that long,” suddenly changed the subject Ymdaton.

“They tried. But the work was going painfully slow. Builders often got injured, then there were fatalities, then people began to disappear. Rumours spread that the land itself rebelled against the project, that something crawled out of the marshes to hunt workers. So the construction was abandoned. Ozeryani are coming to trade anyway, while the people of Qyris do not have a slightest desire to travel east.

Now excuse me, I have to discuss some matters with our lord,” the servant sped up his pace so soon he left Ymdaton behind.

“Making important friends, I see,” said Abimnupal, who was dragging the vessel beside him.

“Of what importance, exactly? This is but a well paid serf.”

“Do not mistake Lulaton for a simple servant. He is the one who is heard by our master more than the rest of his court combined. Do you know his story? He once was a serf in charge of polishing Azytenisar’s armour. When his younger brother was kidnapped by tyrsenoi, our lord fell into the depth of grief. It is said he tried to drown his sorrows in wine. One day, while being intoxicated quite a lot, he asked Lulaton’s advice on this matter. That is where he got the idea of famous Rescue at Clevsi.”

“You mean the story of ten warriors of High Crew who hid in the barrels with gold which Azytenisar sent as ransom?”

“Yeah, that one. Azandahy was amongst them. They freed lord’s brother and fought their way out of tyrsenoi city. Our liege listens to Lulaton’s words very carefully since then.”

Ymdaton wanted to give some comment on this, but was distracted by a shout from behind.

“It glimmers ahead, stars be praised!”

The whole expedition turned their heads as one. Crewslayer did so as well and, indeed, there could be seen some shining ahead, even through the mists. There were waves, he could tell, for there was no sight more familiar to a seaman.

“Not so long before we can use these ships properly,” said he and pressed on.