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.Tanetoa swam to the largest of the ships, stopping twenty yards off her starboard side so the sailors would not think he meant any harm."Ahoy, little people!" He waved his hand, which caused a great rustling among the men and prompted the flaunting of several dozen harpoons.Tanetoa scowled at the display of weapons."There is no need to be frightened.I come in peace."A bearded man in a white turban stepped forward and stood between two harpooners."Then you declare for us?""Declare?""Declare your side." The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then motioned the ballistae crews to stand ready."In the war.Surely, you know about the war?""I have heard the whales sing of it," Tanetoa answered, "but this is not my war.""Of course it is," the man retorted."This war is everybody's war.Now, where do you stand?"Tanetoa considered this, then shrugged."What are my choices?"The man scowled."You dare mock an officer of the caleph's fleet?"Tanetoa started to apologize, then remembered he was a giant and clenched his jaw.He kicked his feet, raising himself high enough to display his mighty shoulders and chest."Do you speak of the Caleph of Najron?"The officer paled and could not help retreating a step."The very one, may the One grant him all blessings.""And where does the caleph stand?""On the side of j-justice and honor, uh, of course," answered the officer."On the side of justice and honor," Tanetoa repeated, trying to disguise his disbelief.He had heard the whales sing of this Caleph of Najron and knew the man to be a Cyric-worshiping blackguard who thought nothing of pouring his city's filth into the sea."Truly?""Truly," answered the officer.Considering the ships and their ballistae, Tanetoa decided a diplomatic answer might be best."I have always favored justice and honor."The officer smiled, displaying a huge gold tooth, and spread his arms magnanimously."Then we are allies!""If you stand on the side of justice and honor," Tanetoa answered carefully.He touched a hand to his breast."I am Tanetoa of the Reef."The crowd at the rail parted, and a new man in a golden turban stepped forward.Like the first, he had a long black beard, but his face was much more stern, more hawkish."And I am the emir Bahal yn Nadir, Admiral of the caleph's fleet." The newcomer gestured with a bejew-eled hand, and the harpooners lowered their weapons."I have come to occupy your island in the name of the caleph.""Occupy it?" Tanetoa glanced around at the eight carracks, trying to guess how many hundreds of men they held."The island can barely sustain my wife and me.""We have brought supplies," said the emir.Tanetoa eyed the overburdened ships, trying to imagine the humans ferrying tons of casks and chests through the winding channel into the lagoon.There would be accidents-and even if there were not, the mere presence of so many humans would poison the reef.Tanetoa shook his head vigorously."No.It will be bad for the reef.""The reef?" The emir scowled, clearly confused."What does a reef matter? We are at war!""This is the Crystal Reef," Tanetoa explained.There is no other like it in the Shining Sea."The emir looked unimpressed."And?""And its death would be a great loss to the world." Tanetoa spoke in a stern voice."I have sworn to protect it."The emir surprised him with a broad smile."Then you should be glad for our presence.That is the very reason the caleph sent us-to protect this island.""Protect it from what?""From the Enemy Beneath, of course," the emir replied."Already, the sahuagin and their allies have raided Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, and many other places along the Sword Coast.""But Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate are wealthy places," said Tanetoa."So the whales tell me."The emir's brow rose."The whales tell you?""We sing to each other," Tanetoa explained."They tell me the sahuagin are stealing human treasure.""The whales tell you correctly." The emir and his officer exchanged meaningful glances."What else do they tell you?""Only that the war is spreading," said Tanetoa."But what could the sahuagin want from my island? Those other places have things worth stealing.My island is too poor to even have a name.Let me take you ashore,1'HE 1HREAT FROM THE SEAand you will see there is nothing here for them to steal."The offer seemed to take the emir aback.He glanced at his officers nervously, then shook his head."Your island's poverty is of no consequence.The caleph has commanded me to protect it.""Yes, so you have said.But why?""It is not for me to question the caleph's wisdom," said the emir."It is enough that he has commanded it.We will come ashore with the next high tide.Make ready for us.""And if I do not?" asked Tanetoa."As the caleph's ally, you have no choice." The emir glanced at his ballistae, which remained trained on Tanetoa."We must all sacrifice for the war."Tanetoa swam forward, crossing the last twenty yards to the ship in three quick strokes.The ballistae crews cursed and scrambled to bring their weapons to bear, but Tanetoa pretended not to notice.He reached up and grabbed the gunwale, hauling himself up to stare at the emir eye-to-eye.The ship listed steeply in his direction, sweeping a handful of men off their feet and drawing several muffled booms from the cargo holds.The emir gasped and stumbled back, motioning a dozen harpooners forward.Tanetoa ignored the warriors."We will talk again before the tide, but I warn you not to cross the reef without my consent.The rocks are very sharp, and the smell of blood in the water will attract hungry sharks."The color returned to the emir's face, and he straightened his robe."Of course.The caleph thanks you for your counsel.""He is most welcome."Tanetoa released the gunwale quickly, intentionally allowing the ship to rock back violently, then slipped beneath the waves and dived toward the bottom.It was not that he feared being harpooned; he simply wanted the emir to know he could come up beneath the fleet without exposing himself to attack.He swam deep underwater to the luminous, clifflike wall of the seaward reef, then slowly ascended toward the narrow channel that led into his lagoon.As Tanetoa approached the surface, he was astonished to see a long stream of yellow figures gliding into the mouth of the passage.At first, he thought they might be a school of yellow-bellied snappers invading the lagoon in pursuit of a sumptuous meal, but he soon saw that could not be.The figures were far larger than most snappers, stretching to a uniform length just shy of that of a human.Moreover, they had fin-footed legs instead of tails and spindly arms instead of pectoral fins, and they were armed with a wide assortment of tridents, crossbows, and wickedly curved sea swords.When the creatures noticed Tanetoa, a long file peeled off the main school and swirled down to meet him.Their faces were distinctly codlike, with heavy lips, deep glassy eyes, and a single pair of sensor tentacles dangling beneath their chins.They were lo-cathah, a race of nomadic fishmen who sometimes hunted along the reef in pursuit of giant groupers or schools of red jack.Never before had they come in such great numbers.Tanetoa stopped some twenty feet from the surface and hung alongside the reef in front of a beautiful elephant-ear sponge.The locathah encircled him and began to wave their arms and hand-fins in underwater Common, a complicated language of symbolsand currents that allowed creatures with differing vocal capacities to communicate while submerged [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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