“A metal ship,” Jade said in Raksuran. She looked at Merit, one spine lifted inquiringly.
Merit stared at the sunsailer for a long moment, then said reluctantly, “No, it’s not the metal ship from the vision.”
“Really?” Root said, “because—”
“No.” Merit was certain.
Moon leaned on the railing. This sea was far too warm to be the one the mentors had described in the vision, and metal ships weren’t uncommon. He wasn’t sure if they should be relieved by that or not.
Two much smaller boats were anchored closer in, but they only had one mast each and looked as if they were meant for short trips away from the larger boat, and not long voyages. There was another flying boat too, Moon realized. It was a small one, not much larger than the one-masted ships, anchored on the island and drawn down by cables until it was at the level of the ferny treetops. It was constructed of green moss, like their boat, and he had mistaken it for a particularly large tree canopy.
At least there was no sign of Fell attack. Groundlings stood on the deck of the sunsailer, watching their approach.
“I’m ready to get this over with,” Jade said. “Where’s Stone?”
Stone stood up from behind the rain cistern at the base of the ridge and stretched. Why he had been sleeping back there, Moon had no idea, but Stone liked sleeping in odd and what would appear to be uncomfortable places. “You want to go up there now?” he asked. “Or wait for the mist to burn off?”
“Are we going to be able to see to land?” Balm frowned up at the top of the escarpment.
“We don’t even know if we want to land yet,” Chime pointed out.
Moon agreed. Jade flicked her spines impatiently, but seemed to be listening. She said, “I just want to stop wondering about this stupid place.” She looked at Moon. “Well?”
He shrugged one shoulder. He thought they should give the wind a chance to die down, and talk to the Kish here first. “I’d wait.”
She hissed out an annoyed breath.
Callumkal came out of the hatch near the end of the ridge, shielding his eyes to look toward the escarpment. “Not much to see at the moment. It should be visible by later this morning.”
Jade told him, “We’re talking of going up to take a look now.” It was hard to tell whether she was hoping he would try to talk her into it or out of it. Moon knew that unless it was one or the other, Jade wouldn’t have said anything.
Callumkal said, “Ah, I would prefer you wait, until I speak with the members of the expedition here.”
Jade’s spines lifted in a way that combined slightly offended surprise with inquiry. “Why is that?”
Callumkal appeared to understand her perfectly without being able to read her spines. “My colleagues are . . . not expecting you. The decision to ask for your assistance was something I didn’t make until after I had spoken to Delin, and there was no way to send a message.”
Chime muttered in Raksuran, “Oh, good.”
Delin was frowning now too. He said, “That I understood, but I also thought that it was your decision to make. You are not the one in command of this venture?”
Callumkal said, “It isn’t a question of being in command of it—”
Stone folded his arms, sighed, and wearily shook his head at the sky. Moon knew how he felt. He leaned on the railing and rubbed his face. This can’t go wrong now. Not now that we’ve come all this way. Chime nudged his shoulder sympathetically.
Callumkal was still talking. “—we are a collective of scholars. I need to inform the others of my decision to ask for your help first.” He looked around at them all and said with a little exasperation, “I assure you, there will be no difficulty. They will understand why your help is necessary. Haven’t I proved myself to you yet? I feel we are working together very well.”
“We are working with you very well, so far,” Jade said pointedly. “It’s your companions I’m worried about.”
“I promise you, there is no need for concern.” Callumkal seemed sincere. And he probably is, Moon thought sourly. Altogether, Callumkal was a fairly reasonable person. Fairly reasonable people often expected everyone they knew to be fairly reasonable too, and were shocked when this proved not to be the case.
The flying boat was circling in toward the island, and the crew came out on deck to start breaking out the cables to prepare to anchor it. There were some makeshift structures just above the beach and opposite the sunsailer’s anchorage. These had clearly been constructed recently by the Kishan, and were mostly elaborate tent structures made of blue and white cloth, supplemented by the fern-topped saplings and branches from the island. Groundlings, mostly dark-skinned, tall Janderan like Callumkal and Kalam, and a few shorter, wider Janderi, stood on the beach, waving at the flying boat.
“They look happy,” Chime said hopefully.
Moon grimaced. “I hope they’re happy after they see us.”
It took some time to lower the flying boat down toward the upper part of the beach, above the tide line. The crew dropped several anchor disks that didn’t seem heavy at all, until one of the groundlings on the beach ran forward to twist something in the top of each one. Then they suddenly sank into the sand like heavy metal weights. The crew used them to winch the boat down until it was only about thirty paces above the sand, then opened a section of the deck and dropped a boarding ladder.
While this was going on, Jade had sent Balm to warn the rest of the warriors and the Arbora, and tell them to get their packs together, just as a precaution. She told Moon and Chime, “I told them to stay in the cabin for now. If they hear me call out, they’re to go out the windows. I just want to be prepared if we have to leave in a hurry.”
Moon approved the precaution, but he hoped they wouldn’t need it.
Stone asked Delin, “Want to come with us?”
Delin shook his head. “If you have to leave, I will stay here, and try to bring Callumkal’s companions around.”
Rorra came out of the door, her boots clumping on the soft material of the deck. She frowned at the Raksura gathered at the far end of the deck, and then at Callumkal, Kalam, and Vendoin waiting with some of the crew near the ladder. She seemed undecided about which group to join, so Moon pushed away from the railing and went to her. He said, “We’re worried the Kishan here won’t like the fact that Callumkal brought Raksura.”
Her frown turned to an irritated grimace. “Surely not. It would be ridiculous to turn away help.”
It was somewhat reassuring that she hadn’t anticipated any problems. Someone was climbing up the ladder, and Callumkal went to give him a hand onto the deck. This groundling was a different race, similar in build to the tall Janderan, and dressed like them, but his skin was light blue and softer in texture, and his hair was white and straight. “Who’s that?” Moon asked Rorra.
“Kellimdar,” she said, “A head scholar, about the same rank as Callumkal.”
The groundlings spoke among themselves for a moment, probably greeting each other, then Kellimdar glanced around and saw Jade. Then he registered Stone, Delin, and Chime, then spotted Moon with Rorra. He turned back to Callumkal and his expression was not reassuring. Unless he was like Rorra, and the thunderous frown was normal for his face.
Moon watched Callumkal obviously explaining the presence of the strangers. Kellimdar’s expression of deep concern, uncertainty, and mild horror meant Callumkal must be explaining exactly what the strangers were. The Raksura must have looked like odd figures to him, most of them like ordinary soft-skinned groundlings dressed in light clothing a little the worse for travel and saltwater, but with no boots, no weapons except for a couple of belt knives, none of the things groundlings usually had to carry. It would be unsettling, to know how deceptive that appearance was.