We all watched as we sailed past a massive boulder that stood taller than the mainmast on the sloop.
“I… have trouble believing we’re going to get six leagues up this river,” Roran said. “Rilen, you have the water affinity…
He let out a breath. “I do. I can only generally guess by the flow of water, though.”
“I think anything will help,” I answered. “Dorian, Aiko, Roran, could you all take port, bow, and starboard to spot any rocks that aren’t on the charts? Aiko, how old are these charts?”
“Not more than two years,” he said. “We may not come up to buy the ice, but they come down to buy food and supplies.”
I nodded and looked at Rilen and Bel. “Both of you stay here? I should be able to handle this, but I may need your strength to hold steady or turn quickly.”
“Kimber, I don’t like the look of those clouds,” Belshazzar said. I turned and found him looking behind us. “Remind me which way the weather flows here?”
“East to west,” I said. “You’re looking dead east.”
“Shit.”
I looked at the sails. I had pulled them both down because of the dangers of the rocks breaching the hull if we couldn’t move the ship fast enough. We had a good tailwind, and it would give us a lot of speed.
“Rilen, how sure are you that you can read the flow of water accurately?”
“Pretty sure.” He shrugged.
“Those clouds are going to be here before we make six leagues. If the wind and waves rise, even in this narrow canyon, we’re going to be smashed on the rocks.” Taking a deep breath, I turned back to the gorge ahead of me. “I have navigated the Cerulean Cliffs, and I’ve been through the Iruki Narrows. I broke the storm in the south and survived the Northern Ocean.”
I glanced at Belshazzar. King of the Druids of Earth. We were here to rescue his woman. We were here to get back the Queen of the Vampires. He had helped us time and again, going so far as to run into a burning building, trusting us to get Gwynnore back.
“Hoist the sails,” I called to the front of the boat. “Get them up and catch the wind. Rilen, take Dorian’s place at the bow. That’s going to be the best place to sense the water. Dorian, please stand with me at the wheel when you’re done. Bel, could you check the dinghy and make sure to put our packs in there, in case we breach on a rock.”
I held the ship as steady as I could as the five of them worked to get the sails up. The front triangle snapped fully as soon as it was secure, and we leapt forward. The gaff boom was next, and the rope almost took Roran overboard—but Aiko caught him, and they secured the line. The canvas snapped full, and we leapt forward again.
Rilen rushed to the bow and Aiko and Roran, to the sides. Bel had secured the packs in the tiny dinghy and set the oars in the catches. We might not all fit in there, but we could all use our speed to get out of the water. The packs would be safe until we could grab the boat.
From the front of the ship, the three men watching the water would raise a hand if they saw a hazard, but we weren’t in danger.
Then, Rilen threw a hand to the starboard. “Boulder, under the surface, less than a stride.”
I spun the wheel to bring the ship to the port of the boulder, and we all held our breath as we passed the point he had indicated.
Bel ran to the bow and pointed to the rocks we could see peeking up. I couldn’t hear what was said since the wind was whistling and tearing his words away, but a moment later, a magical gout of red flame appeared over a point not directly in our path, but close enough to be a concern.
A second later, all the spots twenty strides downriver had blue, red, white, and yellow flames over them. I could see an easy path up the river without relying on the men shouting at me.
We made incredible time. It took us less than an hour to make it two leagues up the river. The clouds were chasing us, but we were racing up the gorge.
We lost a bit of wind as we got further upriver but still made amazing time. The walls of the gorge grew higher and higher, rising from a hundred strides to nearly three. The sun was nothing but a suggestion at the water, and we would be in serious trouble if the wind did pick up from the storm.
Just a little over two hours later, the tiny port came into view after we sailed around a bend.
The village of Short Gorge was small and built entirely into the rock face. The pier to tie up the ship was made of stone, the roads and paths carved into the rock. The stairs that led up and up were tucked in the rock. The houses—carved caves with windows and doors—overlooked the river.
As I hauled the boat around to get upriver of the pier and tie off, I could see why they had picked this point for the village. Ahead, the river was filled with rocks and debris and was racing through the narrowing canyon.
The sails came down as fast as we could get them, and we tied up with the help of four people onshore, all of whom were more than shocked to see us.
“What brings you up this far?” the man asked. “We rarely get visitors anymore.”
“We’re looking for Queen Niniane,” I said. “Do you have any idea where she might be?”
