The journey continued.

Sahshir spent much of his time strengthing Oresa's will and her ability to wield power. Her lack of confidence limited her power. There had been progress in this regard. However, Sahshir thought she would be helpful in direct combat sometime soon.

Still, she could be more valuable in a support role.

One morning, Sahshir found Tuor standing at the prow of the ship. He was gazing for the distant lands beyond. He turned to where Sahshir was and smiled. "Ah, Sahshir, you're up at last. How goes your training with the Princess?"

"Well enough," said Sahshir. "Though she has much room for improvement."

"Well, in any case," said Tuor, drawing out a sealed case. "The merfolk arrived with a message for you from King Nagos."

"Thank you," said Sahshir, taking the case.

Unsealing it, he drew out a sealed scroll. Sure enough, there was the symbol of Namina upon it, a faceless figure with an outstretched hand. Breaking the seal, Sahshir looked at the letter and read aloud;

"'To Abdul,

'It's been way too long since we were face to face. I've been busy with all that's been going on with the recent truce. Serna and I have had to go to many different islands, rarely staying for more than a week. All kinds of people have needed managing, and finding the people to run things has been hard.

'I'll be glad to see you in Sorn. Carath Magnious has put my household up. Is Narcissa with you? I'd love to see her again? Serna is with me at the moment.

'Oh right, and I should tell you that Sen Kaba is here too. We got his ransom, which helped a lot, but he has mostly stayed the same. Though at least he isn't holding a grudge or is pretending not to. He keeps saying he's a businessman and isn't interested in revenge.

'Personally, it's a way to distance himself from what he's been doing.

'Either way, Sorn is nice enough. A lot cleaner than most of the Islands of Power, and everyone here is very polite. However, I don't think much of their ideology. They are very big on something they call Social Suvvesianism. The basic idea is that the rich are rich because of natural superiority. Meanwhile, the poor are doomed to be destroyed by some natural process.

'Ignoring the fact that poor people have more children than the rich, of course. Going by this ideology, doing nothing to help the less fortunate is an act of charity. But at least they aren't killing them. They leave that to the workhouses.

'Anyway, I'm running out of pages, so I'll finish up. Sen has some projects he is working on, which I'm not allowed to discuss in letters. You might be interested in it. The basic goal is to save the world. I know you feel saving the world isn't worth it if we give up our souls. But some of the stuff he's done here is really impressive.

'-Your friend,

'Nagos.

'P.S:

'Whatever you do, don't trust anybody here. They're all very nice people, but I expect most would knife you for a few silvers if it was convenient.'"

Sahshir couldn't help himself and laughed. As he did, Tuor seemed taken aback. "What is it?"

Yes, he had, though Tuor had forgotten. "I can never read Nagos," said Sahshir. "The man is either two-faced or a god in human form."

"It's possible," mused Tuor."Vacant domains of power are eventually filled. The Domain of Friendship has been without a god for some time."

"You think Nagos is the new one?" asked Sahshir, not taking the comment seriously.

"I think nothing," said Tuor, shaking his head. "One should never make a judgment until you have had a chance to examine the situation. Unless, of course, time demands you make one without any prompting, then it is better to act on your best guess."

"What do you think of Sorn, Tuor?" asked Sahshir, deciding to get his view on the subject.

Tuor paused. "I believe they place too much emphasis on money. Otherwise, they have a society worthy of aspiration."

"In what way?" asked Sahshir, who had disliked Sorn since having to fight them.

"Those too weak to thrive are used until they are destroyed," said Tuor. "No noble titles are required to gain power; one needs only possess the will and ability to gain it. Far superior to the divine right wielded by their Harlenorian ancestors. Without a class system, one may rise freely."

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"And what of those who cannot rise?" asked Sahshir.

"The weak, if they do not grow stronger, should be purged, lest they drag down the strong," replied Tuor.

"Is strength the end goal of all societies?" asked Sahshir, curious as to his answer.

"Of course," said Tuor.

"Why?" asked Sahshir.

"Without it, one would be destroyed," said Tuor. "Civilizations must thrive for power and strength above all else."

"Even if it compromises moral integrity?" asked Sahshir.

"Morality in its ultimate form is mere pragmatism," said Tuor, shaking his head. "Pragmatism dictates one act about what one calls virtue. However, it is ultimately merely a subordinate to power, if a powerful one.

"No Empire may be founded without a moral foundation. But it is simply one more means of control in the end. Other elements are as important."

"You are wrong, Tuor," said Sahshir. "The only purpose for virtue is virtue itself. Strength is but one of the rewards inherent to virtue. A society that disregards what is right for the sake of power shall only weaken itself. Meanwhile, a society that remains virtuous shall have power.

"As such, all things must be arrayed to create men who strive to do what is right. Then the rest will follow naturally."

"A somewhat naive perspective," mused Tuor. "Harlenor was such a place under Anoa the Bright. While Baltoth rules through fear as much as ideology."

"Is Harlenor, not His greatest rival?" asked Sahshir.

Tuor said nothing for a long moment. He seemed to contemplate inner doubt, and Sahshir wondered what it was. "Officially, yes," said Tuor at last. "But he is more concerned for threats from within. Nations and ideologies are but illusions. An illusion can be a powerful asset, but ultimately, all men seek power over others. Some do it by making pretensions to benevolence. Others ignore the rules that have been set in place.

"By your own admission, you seek to live a virtuous life because you seek to follow a code. Not because you feel an obligation to others. You follow the code of Baltoth because religion was a rock of stability in a chaotic time. I am not condemning your use of religion; it has made you powerful."

"Then I shall act as though the illusion was real," replied Sahshir. "For a world where such an illusion was not heeded would be a hell."

"And there you see the paradox that all-powerful men must come to understand," said Tuor, "if they are to remain so.

"Still, it is of no further consequence.

"Once we have arrived in Sorn and the negotiations are underway, we will slip away. The Revenant's pass will be watched, but there are other ways through. I know of a passage through the Ghost Mountains that leads straight to Southern Harlenor. Only a few know of it, and those that do stand in terror of it.

"If fortune favors us, we may well reach Gel Carn undetected. For it is mostly empty lands beyond the road, we will take."

"And what is the catch?" asked Sahshir.

Tuor smiled fondly. "It is the Road of Ancient Stone that we will be taking. There are realms of horror in that place that few could stand to walk.

"But our company is not most men.

"So, it is within our means."

"I will not leave Sorn until negotiations have been finished," said Sahshir.

"A wise decision, we will need to use Sorn as our escape," said Tuor. "Were the war to erupt again, we could face serious problems."

A man approached Sahshir and saluted. "King Sahshir."

Sahshir turned to him. "Yes?"

"We have arrived," said the man.

Sahshir looked at the sight of Sorn's mainland. It was mostly green but of a drabber, less pleasant than the Islands of Power. Heavy clouds of rain hung overhead, and there were many cliffs. Along the shore were numerous huge stones raised with symbols carved into them.

"What is that there on the cliffs," asked Sahshir.

"The runes of Coinfurth," said Tuor. "Sorn is a land with many wars with the merfolk and lizardfolk. Sen Kaba has erected many runes at his own expense, meant to repulse all races of that kind."

Just looking at them as they drew nearer hurt the eyes. Even when Sahshir looked away from it, the stones seemed to exude hostility. He suddenly wanted to return home and focus on anything else, but the feeling passed. Turning, he saw Isamu's group rise for the morning. As they did, Cadas suddenly clutched his forehead and cried.

"Cadas, what's wrong?" asked Oresa.

"My head, I.... I can't think..." said Cadas.

Tuor moved swiftly by him and kneeled. "One moment."

Drawing out what seemed a necklace, he set it around Cadas' neck. As he did, the huge man rose, rubbing his forehead. The pain seemed to have passed.

"What did you do?" asked Isamu.

"A minor charm to defend him," said Tuor. "It appears that Cadas has the bloodlines of some of the people of the Islands of Power. They were among those the runes were meant to repulse. I'm told the slaves are in agony until they reach the shoreline."

"So does this mean they can't be invaded?" asked Urus.

"No, the power of the runes is dispersed the more wills set against it," said Tuor. "A truly vast army could bypass it with little ill effect. However, small raids to seize slaves or feast on villagers would be made far more difficult by this."

Soon, they came into a cove and saw Suvera.

Sahshir had heard of the Golden City of Suvera. A place where precious metals coated the roof and jewels were used as cobblestones. Sahshir had taken none of these very seriously, but it seemed there was a grain of truth. There were many vast and ornate buildings, and many taller ones were plated with gold.

All of them were in the center, of course. Suvera was built so that the structures got taller the closer you got to the great temple. Since the great temple, with all its spires, was dead center in the city, it resembled almost a pyramid.

There was also a magnificent sea wall that they'd had to pass through to get into the harbor. As they neared the pier, Sahshir stepped down first. His companions followed, and they saw a group waiting for them at the base. He'd hoped to be greeted by Nagos.

He'd gotten Sen Kaba instead.

Kaba had cut his hair shorter in the time since his month-long imprisonment. He was slightly more gaunt, but his eyes were the same steel. Though Sahshir did notice that his spirit did not seem so decayed as last time, he bowed cordially. "King Sahshir of Kalthak, we have awaited your arrival."

"Sen Kaba, I was not expecting you to meet me on the docks," said Sahshir. "Or at all."

"I am a businessman, not a knight," replied Kaba. "I do not hold grudges. And we need to cooperate."

And then the halfling arrived.

He was clad in a fine red waistcoat and held a black walking stick. He moved up, flanked by guards, and hurried up to Sahshir. "Oh, damn, late as usual.

"You have my sincerest apologies, King Sahshir; business demands rarely wait for men. Sometimes, they get in the way of courtesy." Then he noticed Sen and his eyes hardened. "Kaba."

"Carath," said Sen, and there was real hatred in his eyes.

"Well, it is a veritable storm of former enemies here today, isn't it?" asked Carath brightly.

"Nagos arrived a week or two ahead of you, actually. Very nice fellow, far from the terror of the seas, the stories made him out as."

"May I ask where he is?" asked Sahshir.

"Well, truth be told, I don't know," admitted Carath. "He disappeared from his room suddenly. Even his own guards need to find out where he went.

"But he did leave a note about walking the streets.

"I don't know why he'd want to do that. It isn't safe."

"King Nagos grew up working for pirates," mused Sahshir. "I expect he knows what he is doing."

"Yes, he mentioned that," said Carath. "Actually, I had taken all the stories told of him to be a mere poetic exaggeration. But the man seems to hold a certain flair that speaks of practical experience. More than I have anyway." Carath laughed at that. "Well, if there is nothing else, we've prepared apartments for your company if you'll come with me."

Well, there was a somewhat tolerable company here. However, Sahshir was not going to dismiss Nagos' warning.