It was a beach of white sand on the island's far side, dotted with palm trees and many white stones. They were rounded by years of the tide rushing in them out. There were trees all over this island, and many were beautiful. Sahshir saw several deer in the woods and wondered if they would make good hunting. It was a moot point, of course.

As they came onto the white beach, Sahshir saw no sign of any ship. Narcissa looked slightly annoyed by this, shifting her axe as she walked.

"Why are you taking us out here to this beach, Nagos?" asked Narcissa. "I don't see any ships."

"Yeah, well, Sheltath doesn't like coming up near ships," said Nagos. "He's always afraid he'll crush them. So now I have to him from the deeps." And standing near the edge, now clad in simple orange and brown sailor gear, he took a deep breath.

"So, is there some kind of ritual you have to-" began Narcissa.

Nagos snatched a stone and hurled it, skipping across the waves a dozen times. "Hey, Sheltath! Get out here!

"Sheltath!"

"I'll take that as a no," said Narcissa.

Up came Sheltath like a great serpent, and his scaly back stretched to sea. He lowered his head onto the sand so his eyes aligned with Nagos' face. One of his nostrils was the size of their heads. His breathing was a rush of heated air, but Nagos didn't flinch. "You have called, and I have come forth, Master."

"Sheltath old buddy. I need a ride out to sea," said Nagos. "We've got to get some places quick, and the ships aren't going to do any good."

"As you command, you may ride upon my back," said Sheltath. "I shall swim to the ends of the earth if you so choose."

"Great, we'll start with the island of Beyofong. That's closest," said Nagos.

They quickly scaled onto Sheltath's back, which was quite difficult to manage in high heels. Sahshir had no trouble, of course, and neither did Nagos. No sooner had they gotten settled, Sheltath surged off. He moved smoothly through the water at a truly immense pace. His great head rising out of the sea sheltered the wind of their passing. Nagos had no trouble keeping his feet, while Sahshir narrowly kept his feet at first. Meanwhile, Narcissa nearly fell off.

"Beyofong," said Narcissa, propping herself up on an axe. "That's a strange name."

"It's Naminean," said Nagos. "Chaminus and MacShore were named by other people. Some of our people fled there to try and preserve the culture. They aren't really around anymore, though. With all the invasions, they mostly became one culture or another. "Serna's family were descendants, actually."

"I think culture is just a word for people's habits, though, and I don't think one habit is better.

"So I don't care."

"This island is very near your own," said Sahshir. "How might they have not been raiding your shores?" Was war all he ever thought about?

"Well, see, I pay them a fine to not raid my merchant's vessels," said Nagos. "Easier that way."

"Couldn't you just kill them?" asked Narcissa. It seemed the best question to ask.

"Eh, not really," admitted Nagos with an uncomfortable shrug. "The island is very defensible; a long time ago, it was a colony of Naminus, just like my Kingdom. It took a thousand men weeks to seize it when it had only a fraction of the defenders. It's a natural harbor, sheltered from the wind. That fort up there is practically untakable.

"You can shoot out at anyone coming toward the island from it too. This is where the last Emperor of Namina made his stand."

"What are you talking about? The Emperors of Namina ceased to exist with their island," said Sahshir.

"How many written records do you have of this?" asked Nagos.

"In Kalthak, we pass down our history orally," said Sahshir. "Naminus fled to our lands after their decadence led to their destruction. There they corrupted our people into the same sin."

"Right, that makes sense," said Nagos. "Well, the records I have to tell a different story. They say that Naminus conquered Kalthak and more or less ruled the place. When Namina was destroyed by the waves, the Empire survived. Then they settled the refugees in the islands of power.

"Of course, the rampant use of sorcery and demon-summoning got out of control. This was right about when Baltoth was staging his war on Valranor."

"I know," said Sahshir.

"I don't; this is all new to me," said Narcissa. Her education had mostly focused on demonology, which had been, thus far, useless.

"Well, a man named Roo Chadar saw the whole thing coming," said Nagos. "He led many people to the islands of power to resettle there. As a result, they took in many of the refugees after the Fall.

"Eventually, Roo Chadar established a dynasty based in Chaminus. But it was always a shadow of the original Namina. Some of our records say that ancient Namina was a fragment of a much larger empire.

"There are other worlds with places called Namina. It's more a culture than a nation. And my culture is very different from theirs."

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"How did you become a vassal of Dinis?" asked Sahshir.

"I actually know this part," said Narcissa. "It was taught by my teacher, Illaryus. Dinis was mostly known as a barbarian homeland like Kalthak for years and years." Narcissa was pleased to know something Sahshir did not.

"Ahem," said Sahshir flatly.

"No offense meant," said Narcissa. "I just, well, literacy isn't exactly common."

"Some taken," replied Sahshir.

"Anyway, Dinis didn't exist then," said Narcissa. "Just feuding city-states. But then Baltoth seduced a serpent spirit, and it bore the Goddess Safara. Lady of Love and Hunger. Or it might have been a regular serpent.

"Stories vary."

"How are those connected, anyway?" muttered Nagos. "I've never seen the appeal."

"Does it matter?" asked Narcissa. "The point is, Safara grew up and was incredibly charming and charismatic. She could get just about anyone to do anything. Eventually, she started establishing an empire where Dinis is today. Any time someone invaded, she simply threw open the gates and seduced the leadership. Within a month or so, she took control of the new regime.

"She actually established Dinis in full just through this. The Naminean Kings chose to submit before she stole their free will. Today, it is taught as a textbook example of classic succubi tactics. Or at least it was."

"And then she crossed Baltoth, and all her powers were for naught," said Sahshir. Which was what he was going to say all along. It was what he always said.

"Ah, there's the island now," said Nagos.

"Already?" asked Sahshir, looking out.

Sure enough, Beyofong was rising out of the sea. It was more like several mountains coming from the ocean than an island. The entire island was surrounded by sheer cliffs. There was only one area where one could get onto the rocky surface. A fortress stood near the peak of one mountain. It had high walls, and around it was a town of stone, and on the wall were patrolling men with bows and arrows.

There were several other towns visible, despite the sparse vegetation. The port itself was guarded heavily.

"What do they eat here?" asked Narcissa.

"This is a pirate town," said Nagos. "They buy and sell and raid for everything they get. So actually, I supply a large part of the food. It's my best source of income."

The fortress was not like the architecture of the Namineans. On the contrary, it was blockier and less elegant. "Who were the besiegers that took this place?" asked Sahshir.

"Oh, they were Sornians," said Nagos. "Well, actually, they were Harlenorians at the time. Or maybe Antionians."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Narcissa.

"Well, Sorn used to be a colony of a Kingdom called Antion," said Nagos. "And Antion used to be part of a Kingdom called Harlenor, or Harlenor United as they call it these days. It was founded by Anoa the Bright.

"Don't you know this?"

"I was trained as an entertainer and then a warrior. Unfortunately, history isn't my strong suit," admitted Narcissa.

"Well, there are three major Harlenorian Kingdoms," said Nagos. "Haldren, Escor, and Antion. But there are also a bunch of secondary kingdoms that sprouted off them. Sorn is the strongest of these and throws off the Harlenorians.

"Well, Estal is pretty important, too, but, they are mostly used for raiding."

"Calisha liberated them," said Sahshir.

"No, it didn't," said Nagos. "Calisha invaded the place and took it over so they could set up a second front. But Erik the Voyager led an army through the Road of Ancient Stone in the Ghost Mountains and took it back. He didn't have the manpower to hold Sorn, though, with the war going badly.

"So he put a notable merchant, Suvvest, in charge.

"Suvvest played both sides of the war and managed to remain neutral. Antion didn't have to worry about a second front. And Calisha didn't have to worry about raids for a little while. It became a buffer state."

"I don't even know what half of those words mean, Nagos," said Narcissa as they drew near the shore.

"Erik the Voyager is a famed explorer-" began Nagos.

"I know who Erik the Voyager is; everyone knows him," said Narcissa. "I meant the Road of Ancient Stone, the Ghost Mountains, and Suvvest."

"Oh, okay," said Nagos. "Well, the Road of Ancient Stone is an underground dimension below the ground. It reaches all over but is stronger in the north. The Ghost Mountains divide Sorn from Antion except for a narrow pass.

"That's why nobody has ever taken Sorn back. They have a chokepoint. The only other way in would require navigating around the Middle Mountains. You'd need to be on the other side of the world.

"Or on a boat. Most people who invade Sorn do it by sea."

Sheltath slowed as he neared the ships, and the guards were calling out ahead. Apparently, they had been noticed. "What is our plan once we get here?" Inquired Sahshir.

"Well, I'll introduce you to the Pirate King, Asrif, and we'll talk to him," said Nagos.

"Is he Harlenorian?" asked Sahshir.

"Well, sort of. Not really," said Nagos. "I mean, he is descended from Harlenorian stock, and they believe in the heritage. But it's a distant one.

"If we can get him to help, we'll see the other power here, King Alcaides."

"And how are we going to convince him to help?" asked Narcissa.

"Well, I figure we can just tell him that Sorn is a problem, and he'll be able to make money robbing the place," said Nagos. "I pay him money to not attack my ships. Then, if Sorn takes over, they'll try to hunt him down."

"Doesn't Dinis try to hunt him down?" asked Sahshir.

"Sure, but they're not good at it," said Narcissa. "The Legions of Dinis are unstoppable. You could send a god after them, and they'd hold their ground. But they aren't as good on the sea."

Nagos nodded. "I heard that Namina used to have all kinds of great ships. I wish I could have seen them."

"Wish in vain," said Sahshir as Sheltath clambered onto the shore.

A group of armed men clad in leather with small shields came forward. But their spears were not pointed at them, but up. They looked like they were receiving them. Either they had been expected, or this was a common event.

A swarthy man with one eye came forward. "Nagos, why are you here now? We've heard some rumors."

"Hey Timia, been a while," said Nagos, stepping forward. "So, you ever get that promotion you were looking for?"

"No, my ship was destroyed by that bastard Alcaides, and my captain went down with it," said Timia. "I had to swim to shore and start over. I'm working my way back up now, no one wants to keep an experienced warrior as a common sailor, but it's been hard.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I've gone to try and recruit you guys for a war," said Nagos.

"Really?" asked Timia. "Nagos, you do realize we don't fight wars. Of course, we raid and plunder, privateer if we must, but we don't fight the wars of nations."

"I know, but I'm hoping I can talk with Asrif and work something out," replied Nagos.

"He'll see you, but I doubt you'll change any minds," said Timia.

"Trust me," said Nagos.

Timia sighed. "Do whatever you want. The castle is still in the same place. Who are your companions?"

"King Abdul Sahshir of Kalthak and his vassal," said Nagos, voice a preening parody.

Timia eyed him. "And you've come here by yourself?"

"I fear no betrayal from you, pirate. Gods are my prey," replied Sahshir.

Timia smirked. "Well, as boasts go, it's passable. Go on ahead."

Soon they were led through the harbor and saw merchants selling their wares or bartering. This island was used as a stopping point for vessels. Likely a good place to harbor as well. That was a valuable thing with all the feuding lords in the Islands of Power.

"Are you sure about being so casual about all this?" asked Narcissa.

"I address people like people," said Nagos. "No point in letting titles get in the way of talking."

Narcissa had to admit she liked Nagos.