As Uncorrupt As Anywhere

Peri breathed the sea air and felt a few drops of the salty, emerald water on her cheek. Her hair was waving wildly in the wind, and getting into her mouth and eyes, but she disliked tying it.

- "With these winds we should reach the port in a day. Time to make an action plan," she said.

- "Oh? Are you sure it is not unnecessarily anal-retentive? I would hate to think that we stifle our synergetic creativity by making up something as restricting as a plan," Winski said.

- "Hey! It worked just fine when we took over the ship!" Peri retorted.

- "I suppose," Winski grudgingly admitted. "Forgive an old, er... actually immortal, wizard getting a bit unnerved about reckless stunts like that one. I have failed too many times in my life to have such confidence."

- "The confidence has sometimes been the only thing I have left," Peri confessed. "It is like being bold and brave is the only thing left to do when all the alternatives would mean giving up - and then it is better to believe that I will succeed. If I find out I was wrong - well, it doesn't make any difference in the end."

- "The plan," Imoen said. "We have a shipful of frightened and recovering kids who should be returned to different parts of Faerun, and someone should look after them too. And then we should nab those bastards."

- "The government of Cormyr is as uncorrupt as it is anywhere," Jelena said, but there was a quaver in her voice.

Peri snorted.

- "That's the point, isn't it? Well, at least having kidnapped children as pleasure slaves is illegal there. That is a beginning," she said. "Arny said that many clients are shipped to an island when there is a villa, on the guise of it being a cruise. And the kids will be waiting there, ready to serve. That would be an excellent opportunity to arrest some of them."

- "Or arrange them an accident," Sarevok muttered bitterly, holding Ali's hand. The boy sometimes smiled timidly at him now, and his heart already ached at the thought of having to part of him.

- "Sarevok, remember that Cormyrians don't appreciate vigilante justice," Winski said seriously, intently gazing at his son in the eye. "We spoil our own opportunities if we don't do this right. We need the cooperation of the officials."

- "This tries my patience!" Sarevok snapped. He was quiet for a while, then sighed. "I... suppose you are right, father. We can't do this alone. And they will need proof."

Winski beamed at him and nodded encouragingly at the rare display of common sense and patience.

- "Yes, bro. We will be the baddies if we just kill a bunch of their prominent citizens and claim that they were yucky child rapists, if we can't prove it," Peri said.

- "The children could probably be trusted with a proper temple," Jelena said. "I could pray to my lord for insight as to whether they can be trusted, and you could use your powers as well, Winski."

- "They may not appreciate it if we probe their mind and expect them to do us a favor," Winski pointed out.

- "I know," Jelena sighed. "We must explain the situation."

- "Of course, then there are the biggest sharks in the pond," Peri said. "The names in the list, the biggest customers who get more... personalized service. Above all this Ilmatari guy."

- "Don't call him that! He certainly isn't that!" Jelena snapped. Her voice was almost shrill.

Peri's eyes were wide.

- "I apologize. A false Ilmatari, I should have said," she said. Jelena nodded to that, still visibly shaken.

- "I must say that I have faith in the government of Cormyr... after all, I was at their odd side from time to time when I worked for the Iron Throne," Sarevok said. "Those knights they employ seem mostly honest, but I suggest we go straight to the court. If we can convince them to uncover the child slavery ring, they will deal with them and not hush it away."

- "But Jelbeth Lamar is mine," Jelena said in an oddly aloof voice. "I will confront him and..." she cut her speech off, not looking anybody in the eye. Winski shot her a worried look.

- "Then remains the question of taking the children home," Winski concluded. "We will have to gather convoys of trustworthy people to do that."

- "Whom could I possibly trust to take Ali home?" Sarevok said. No-one couldn't think of what to say, so they said nothing. Sarevok, taking the child into his arms, sprang on his feet and walked to the other end of the deck.

Ali gripped him again as they watched the waves. The boy still didn't speak much.

- "Do you miss your mother and father, little one?" Sarevok asked in a thick voice.

Ali nodded and started to cry.

- "I thought I would never see them again," he said. Sarevok hugged him, trying not to crush him with his bulk.

- "I swear I will take you home," he said.

- "Why do you almost cry?" Ali asked, then looked frightened because of being so bold.

- "I... will miss you. I will never have a child of my own," Sarevok said.

- "Why not?"

- "Because the woman I love is dead. She is the only one who ever could be the mother of my children," Sarevok said bitterly. And I killed her, he thought, but didn't say aloud.