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What we need is a way to see clear to making use of it.
 Gojom help me, I don t understand, bruther. It was a sentence Simna ibn Sind had come to use
frequently in the presence of his enigmatic friend.
Grasping the hilt of the sword firmly in both hands, Ehomba slowly raised it skyward in front of him, the
blade held vertically and as straight as one of theGrömsketter  s masts. An intense blue glow began to
emerge from the metal, pale at first but intensifying rapidly to azure and then indigo. It pushed back the
fog instantly but only for a few yards on either side of the radiant sword.
Expecting something grander, Simna was openly disappointed. As for Stanager, she was quietly grateful
for the modest improvement in the clarity of her immediate surroundings. At least the men and women on
deck and up in the rigging would be able to see her without straining. Down by the mainmast, a seated
Hunkapa Aub saw the blue luminescence and delightedly clapped two massive hands together.
 Pretty light! he exclaimed in the tone of a delighted child.  Pretty, pretty blueness!
 It s pleasing to look upon, all right. Simna grunted.  But it s no beacon sufficient to guide this ship.
 No, it is not. Nor is it intended to be. But perhaps like will follow like. Holding the resplendent sword
as carefully as if it were a cauldron of boiling oil, Ehomba turned and slowly made his way to the side of
the ship, trailing the gently pulsating blue aurora around him.
One of the several emergency boarding ladders that always hung over the side scraped wetly against the
stern. Still holding the blade vertically, Ehomba transferred his grip to one hand. With the other, he
grasped the uppermost rung of the rope-and-slat ladder and started over the side. It was a delicate
balancing act that did not allow the herdsman to relax for a second.
 Hoy, Etjole, what do you think you re doing? Seeing his friend disappear over the side, Simna rushed
to the railing. Leaning over, he watched as Ehomba, carefully balancing the length of refulgent metal in a
single-handed grip, made his way down the ladder toward the dark sea below. Only the circle of blue
light from the blade made it possible for the swordsman to follow his friend s progress. Without it, the
frightful thickness of the mist would have quickly swallowed him up.
 What s going on? Though intensely curious as to what the tall passenger was about, Stanager would
not abandon her position by the helm.
 I don t know. Tensely, the swordsman watched his friend continue his descent.  But I can tell you this
much he s not out for an afternoon s swim.
The bottom of the ladder trailed backward in the dark water. Ehomba reached a rung where his feet
were occasionally submerged and stopped there. Still firmly grasping the tough, sea-cured rope with one
hand, he abruptly let gravity take hold of the mass of the weapon and swing the point downward.
Keeping the fine edge facing forward, he was able to maintain his grip as the blade cut through the water.
The deep blue radiance was clearly visible beneath the surface.
Even though the edge sliced easily through the gentle swells, the ocean still tugged and pulled on the
sword. Gritting his teeth, Ehomba held on, the hilt locked in his long-fingered grip, the blue glow
penetrating deeply into the waters that tried to steal it away from him. Above, Simna and Hunkapa Aub
watched from the rail. The swordsman could see that the strain of holding on to the ladder with one hand
and the submerged blade with the other was tiring his friend.
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 Want me to spell you awhile, bruther? he called out.
The herdsman s face turned upward. Somehow, he managed to grin.He ll grin when he s on his
deathbed, Simna mused.It ll be the last expression he wears.
 Thank you, friend Simna, but all is well.
 Well as what? the swordsman retorted.  What is it you hope to do?
 Light a way through this confusion. With the effort of looking upward putting additional stress on his
body, Ehomba lowered his head.
Hunkapa dropped a massive, shaggy arm over the side.  Look, look! More prettinesses!
Simna squinted. Something was rising from the depths of the ocean. It was not large no longer than
one of theGrömsketter  s small boats but it was lined with lights that flashed bright yellow and pale
red. As it loomed nearer the surface he saw that it was a fish but a fish unlike any finned denizen of the
deep he had ever seen before, either in kitchen or in art. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]