It was during their watch, only an hour later, that alarm spread through the crew on deck. The flow of icebergs had grown more dense, and it appeared there was no longer a safe path for the Gryphon to navigate. Though their speed had been reduced considerably, it still seemed as if the towering mountains of ice were rapidly converging on them.

"The ice can crush a ship," Garstin had told Li earlier that day. "Or rip one open. We need to be careful not to touch it, especially because there's more of them under the water than above."

Captain Mond was on the deck almost immediately, assessing their options. There seemed to be no choice but to turn back the way they had come, but to turn the ship required space the ice did not allow for.

Elri hurried on deck shortly after Captain Mond, and Li saw him also assess the situation. He spoke quietly to Mond. The captain gave him a nod, then Elri walked to the bow of the Gryphon, unwinding his long silver belt as he did so. The crew watched him, most, like Li, not having seen a storm mage at work before and curious about how he might save them.

Li shifted his position on the deck so he could watch as Elri fastened the end of the chain belt around his right wrist and threw the rest of the chain into the sea at the bow of the Gryphon. Wind ruffled his hair and clothing, and Li swore he felt the sea change below the bulk of the ship.

Slowly, the icebergs began to move away from the Gryphon, bobbing and spinning hauntingly as they did so. The moment there was enough space, Mond ordered more sails unfurled to increase their speed. Li hurried to do his part handling the rigging.

Before them, the mountains of floating ice parted, and behind them they came back together in the Gryphon's wake. Within an hour they had cleared the field of icebergs and were moving again through the open sea. At the bow, Elri slowly pulled the silver chain from the water and wrapped it about his waist again, despite the water still clinging to it and soaking his clothing. Li was intrigued to learn it was not simply a piece of fashion he was unfamiliar with.

"The chain must be Altmyr," Ardlac commented when Li made this observation.

"It's a very rare metal from Berk," Li said, happy that he knew something when he so often felt ignorant in his conversations with Ardlac.

Ardlac nodded and showed a hint of a smile. "It is. Highly coveted by sorcerers because it helps enhance and focus magic."

"My father was invested in a merchant ship," Li explained. "Altmyr was one item he longed to be able to trade, but it is so difficult to mine that, even though there is quite a large supply, pieces are difficult to acquire."

"It resists any magical attempt to mine it, and manual tools must be used over extended periods of time, with extreme labor, and only small pieces can ever be broken at a time. Then the process of refining and creating anything from that material takes great skill and labor, as well."

Li smiled, enjoying the easy conversation. "A fine chain of that length must have cost Elri a fortune."

"As Tetimi, it's likely the cost was at least partially paid for him," Ardlac explained as they gazed out over the sea. "His magic must require him to be in contact with the sea to use it, and so the chain was more practical than being tied to the side of a ship in battle."

Li nodded. He knew little of storm mages, but assumed they were simply sorcerers who could control the sea and the weather there. He suddenly realized he was less interested in them than the Asirim because Ardlac was not a storm mage, but he was an Asir and Li wanted to know more about him, now that they were becoming friends. The thought was slightly jarring.

Ardlac saved him from that surprising revelation by asking, "You are the son of a merchant? Have you traveled much?"

Li shook his head. "My father did not travel much himself. My mother was rather ill most of my life, though I was told it was in her mind, not her body. It started shortly after I was born and never improved. My father moved the three of us into the countryside in an effort to ease her pain, and it helped somewhat. He maintained contact with partners in the coastal cities, who did much of the trading, though he partly owned the ships and shops. He would occasionally visit the cities, but I never went with him. In order to remain a partner without working actively with the business in the city, he had agreed that his shares would not pass to me, but to the other partners after his death, so there was no reason to involve me in the business. He did teach me a great deal about general business and I took a job assisting with the accounts of a large estate that grew profitable crops and bred horses for the wealthy."

He took a deep breath and tore his mind away from memories of Ash and the beautiful land on which they had both briefly lived. "Two years ago now, the house where my parents lived was destroyed in a storm. A large tree beside their bedroom was struck by lightning and crushed the house in the middle of the night. It killed both of them."

"I am sorry," Ardlac said quietly. It seemed as though he wished to say more, but he remained quiet.

Li nodded. "Thank you." His heart ached with the tragedy of having lost both his parents and his lover within only a few short years of each other. Even with his new friends on the Gryphon, he suddenly felt very alone. He stared out at the calm nighttime sea, then up at the wide expanse of stars above, longing to simply feel a comforting embrace, but Ardlac respectfully did not touch him.