"These timbers are quite expensive," Rytagir pointed out. "If we were to salvage them, the profits from this shipwreck-"
"If we were to salvage these timbers," the maid said, "then the creatures that have chosen to live and spawn here would lose their safe homes. The sea is cruel. Only the smartest and the quickest survive. This has been a home to these creatures for many generations. We're not going to move it."
Rytagir nodded. He knew Captain Zahban wouldn't care for the decision, but there was no choice. Not unless they wanted to fight the sea elves.
One of the elves called out in an excited voice, "Lady Irdinmai, please come see this."
6
Irdinmai pushed herself up from the ship's side and swam back toward the stern. Rytagir trailed in her wake.
Only a short distance farther on, he reached the mid shy;ships. Cargo had to be carefully planned and balanced by the quartermaster so it would ride comfortably during a voyage. It stood to reason that the gold would have been placed amidships.
Thick yellow bars of gold had spilled across the other side of the hull. The pale blue light of the lucent coral brought the dull shine to life.
Perhaps there wasn't enough of it to build a house, not even a small one, but there was enough to make them all wealthy for a short while.
Irdinmai looked at Rytagir. "When we begin taking this gold to the surface," she asked, "will we be able to trust that captain and crew?"
"Yes," Rytagir answered.
The sea elf maid regarded him coolly. "The alu Tel'Quessir know greed, not like the Lolth-loving Sser'tel'quessir, but we know it. We also know it is far stronger in surface dwellers."
"That captain and those men will stand firm by the bargain they have with me." Rytagir met her direct gaze full measure.
Irdinmai was silent for a moment. "And you'll be held accountable for them."
"I thought ye'd drownt," Zahban grumbled when Rytagir heaved himself aboard Azure Kestrel. "Either that or taken up residence with some sea hag what would have ye."
"Shame on ye to even say such a thing," Dorlon admonished. He was lean and gray, far from his youth but a good man to have as quartermaster. "If ye haven't a care, ye'll call down all manner of bad things up on our heads."
Zahban laughed at the other man. "Ye're turning into an old woman, ye are."
Dorlon cursed the captain good-naturedly.
As he stood on the deck, Rytagir studied the dark sky. He had to squint through the sheets of rain that swamped the ship's deck. Night was still hours away, but it was hard to tell given the storm. It was almost as dark as night already.
"Well," Zahban asked, "do we be rich men or poor men?"
Rytagir couldn't help grinning. He liked being right in his projects. "She was down there, captain. And so was the gold."
The crew cheered enthusiastically.
"The bad news is that we're going to be sharing the salvage. The good news is that getting it up from the sea floor is going to be a lot easier than I thought."
"What do ye mean by-?" Zahban clamped his big mouth shut as Irdinmai caught hold of the ship's side and hauled herself aboard.
"So this is yer bad news?" Zahban asked.
Irdinmai glanced at him with sharp disdain. She favored Rytagir with the same. "I've never been referred to in that manner."
"I guess she speaks our tongue," Zahban said sheepishly.
"Quite well, actually," Irdinmai replied. "And we're not any happier about the arrangement than you are, captain."
"I reckon not, Lady." The captains tone was respectful. "Well then, let's just make the best of this." He rolled an eye at Rytagir. "I just hope ye left us some profit to be made."
"There's enough." But Rytagir knew that every man aboard was thinking about how there could have been more.
7
After the relay was set up, everything went easier. Rytagir stayed below and supervised the salvage. The sea elf warriors didn't have much experience at working shipwrecks, but they learned quickly.
The gold was taken up first. They placed the ingots in nets and swam the loads to the surface. Zahban's men stored the salvaged goods in Azure Kestrel's hold. Irdinmai stationed guards aboard ship to ensure it didn't depart unexpectedly.
Fatigue chafed Rytagir mentally and physically, but he kept himself working. Once he had the hold salvage squared away, he turned his attention to the captain's quarters.
He found the captain's log easily enough, but the papers he was looking for-the ones he'd heard about and read about in the research he'd done regarding the peace treaties-weren't there. At least, not within ready sight.
Then he started looking for secret places where documents, contraband, and the captain's personal fortune might be kept.
"Maybe those documents aren't here."
Walling away the frustration he felt, Rytagir turned to face Irdinmai. "If they're here, I'll find them," he promised.
"What's so important about those papers?"
"They'll provide a better understanding of the events that were taking place in this region three hundred years ago."
"And that's important?"
"Our histories tend to be more volatile than yours, Lady," he said. "Every time two cultures, two cities, or two nations fight, something of both is lost. If more than two are involved, even more is lost. The document I'm looking for was a peace accord. An early draft. It would be interesting to match it against the peace accord that was actually negotiated."
"Will that change anything?"
"I doubt it. But for those of us who really want the whole story and not part of one, these documents are a necessity."
"You really care more about finding this than the gold, don't you?"
"Yes. You have stories you hand down to your children, to teach them wisdom and your ways, and to teach them right from wrong."
"Of course. Every tribe does."
"Up there, few people live in tribes anymore. Many of them live in large cities."
Irdinmai bristled as if she had been insulted. "We too once lived in cities. I know what a city is."
"I meant no offense, lady. I only wanted to point out that cities are far larger than what you may be accustomed to down here. Many people-some of them from distant lands and different cultures-live in those cities. Thousands of them. As a result, our histories are not as pure as those among your people."
For a moment, sadness touched the silver eyes. "I've seen the ruins of cities that have fallen into Seros," she said. "I've wandered among the buildings. I can only imagine what it might be like to live in such a place as that."
There were tales of great cities of sea elves that had vanished on the ocean floor, but no one had ever found any truth of that. Rytagir believed in the myths more than most, but even he felt they might offer hope, but not truth.
"If ever you decide you should want to see a living city, Lady, get word to me. I'll be glad to show you around one." Rytagir didn't know what prompted him to make such an offer, hadn't even known he was going to make it until the words fell out of his mouth, and he felt foolish.
Instead, she said, "If I decide to see a city, I'll do that." Then she turned and began helping with the search of the captain's quarters. "Perhaps two of us will be more clever than one."
"Thank you," Rytagir said. He strove to wall off the barrage of questions that filled his mind about whether she would take him up on his offer, and what he would do and where they would go if she did. It didn't work. She was beautiful, and there were so many places he could have shown her.
He took a dagger from his boot and used the hilt to rap against the wooden walls and floor. The thump of metal strik shy;ing wood sounded different underwater.