Chapter 8
Leona rubbed her eyes, and then her back. Her muscles were sore from bending over the same map for hours, going over plan upon plan until one sounded like the least likely to fail. Even getting through Luskan was a chore, because Luskans were notorious for hating non-humans, and Leona was the only human in the bunch. Neeshka would pose as her slave. Khelgar and Grizelda would pose as pirates, meaning they had to approach from the coast, sailing North out of Neverwinter instead of walking the road. And though Sand never discussed it, he was in fact from Luskan. Giving his story privacy, no one discussed how he would get through, but he seemed confident he could, and they left it at that.
Once out of Luskan, they would meet up on the fake pirate ship Khelgar and Grizelda came on, and sail past Fang Island. The island was rocky and deserted, and it is said that wild magic bursts out near the island at random. Even the Luskan Brotherhood couldn't harness it. With Sand the only magic user among them, other than Leona's small spells, this worried everyone – except Sand, it seemed.
"Bring Honus, and we'll be fine."
"My BEAR? First of all, he hates boats. And secondly, how is he going to protect us from wild magic?"
Sand sighed as if frustrated by flies buzzing around him. "Because," he said testily, "Honus himself is a product of wild magic. His presence will ground the boat."
Neeshka smelled deception. "Sand, have you been to Fang Island before?"
"No, Neeshka, I haven't. But a long, long time ago I sailed far out, almost to the Trackless Sea. I doubt it's changed much in a century."
Khelgar coughed. "Probably more wrecked ships and pirate bones, I'd say."
"Besides," Sand continued, "Look at the map. We don't have to go that close to the Island. We head out Southwest past it, and keep our feelers out for magic."
"This still doesn't explain what we'll do when we get there," Neeshka said. "If we even get there. If we even live that long."
Grizelda jerked her thumb in Neeshka's direction. "She always this optimistic?"
Khelgar chuckled. "She's just scared cause she can't fight worth a damn. You'll see."
"Neither can you, Khelgar, since I just stole the dagger right from your pocket!"
Friendly wrestling ensued, until they all got quiet again, realizing no one answered Neeshka's question.
"Well how are we going to get past the sirens in the Manor, then?"
Sand stroked his chin. "My bet is they're excellent magic users, and know basic defense. But it's unlikely they're good fighters, hand to hand. And surely there will be no guards on the island. All we really need to do is stop them from sounding the alarm."
"Who would come, anyway?" asked Grizelda. "And if they did, why couldn't we find what route they sailed, and sail it ourselves, to stay out of danger?"
"I like how you think, Lass," Khelgar said, inching his seat closer to hers. She kicked the leg of it so hard that it almost became a three-legged chair.
"So, at night, then," said Leona. We can get the lay of the land one night, and come back for rescue the second."
"If there's something to rescue," Sand added as he leveled his eyes at her. He seemed to make it his personal job to be the reality check. All this talk of a rescue mission, when they were unsure who was even in the Manor, unsettled him. He wanted to avoid Leona's breaking in two if they searched the Manor clean and found no one they knew.
"I'll be able to find and disable all the magical traps," daydreamed Neeshka. "I bet there'll be loads! It'll be fun for me."
"Won't be enough," said Sand. "There will be so much magic on this Island that one, we'll be lucky to find it in the first place, two, we'll be lucky to survive setting foot on it, and three, we'll be lucky not to be dragged into its prison, willingly or not. I haven't even gotten to the rescue yet."
"Well what're we gonna do," asked Neeshka, "put the whole island to sleep or something?"
Everyone jumped as Leona slammed her hand on the table. "You know what?" she said. "I happen to know someone who can do just that."
