The Questing Game

"It seems crazy. How do they move their cargo if they don't know where they're going to be docking?"

"That's how they've done it for hundreds of years," she replied. "I don't know the specifics of how they transport cargo, but they must have some kind of system."

Tarrin peeked out of the shoulder bag to see them approach Dayise. They had cleared the ring of anchored ships and were moving into the harbor. He noticed that there were no sea fortresses, no naval defenses in place to defend the island city from shipborne attack. Then again, who would dare attack? The sheer number of ships coming and going, all of which would probably join in the defense of the important city, meant that an attacker would have to fight an armada of various ships to gain access to the islands. Kern directed the ship into the middle of the rows of stone quays, until he pulled up to an open slip at the end of one of the larger piers. It was painted red-Tomas must own the berth-and men were on hand to accept ropes thrown from the ship so it could be pulled in and secured.

It only took about twenty minutes to go from the Wikuni frigate to being tied to the dock. Once the ship was stable, the gangplank was lowered, and Kern approached them from the steering deck. "Here ye be, Mistress Dola

"Your aid was indispensible, Captain Kern," she replied with a gentle smile, letting him take her hand. "We thank you, both for your aid and for your discretion."

"Tell Kern to expect a new cat sometime in the next couple of days," Tarrin told Keritanima in the ma

"Uh, Kern, Tarrin says to expect a new cat in the next couple of days. If that makes any sense."

"Aye, it makes perfect sense," he replied. "He said he'd be teachin' a cat that looks like him how to act, so I can use it to bluff anyone who knows about him."

"Clever," Keritanima said appreciatively.

"Good journey to ye, Dola

"May the winds ever favor you, Kern," Dola

Dayise's streets were wide, and there was a curious lack of horses that were common in Suld. The place smelled of people and fish, rotting fish, and the wastes associated with both of them. But the sea breeeze blew in from the ocean, cleansing it of much of the miasma that hung over Suld. Tarrin peeked out of the shoulder bag and watched people go by, people dressed in every imaginable style and ma

"Get down, Tarrin," Miranda said under her breath.

Tarrin hunkered down a bit so he couldn't be seen, but kept looking about intently. The architecture of the city was modest, most of the buildings being made of a grayish stone with white streaks in it, probably quarried from the islands themselves. Most buildings were directly against the street, making the place feel more like a hallway than a thoroughfare. Most of the buildings were i

Dola

"Looks common," Keritanima said, sniffing slightly.

"It appears common, Kaylin," Dola

"Really," she drawled as Azakar opened the door.

The interior was clean, well maintained, and elegantly decorated. Art hung on the walls, and a young, handsome boy sat in the corner playing a curious wooden instrument with strings that he held under his chin. The sound of the instrument was haunting, and it was quite lovely. The place smelled of humans and alcohol, but the most sumptuous smells of roasting beef, pork, and goose wafted from a door in the back. A huge chaba wood bar, deeply burnished so the red hue of the wood shined, dominated the back wall of the i

"Snazzy," Miranda said, looking around.

"Elegant," Keritanima agreed.

Dola