The Map of All Things (53 page)

124
The
Al-Orizin

With cool spray blowing in their faces and hair whipping behind them, Saan slipped his arm around Ystya's waist and held her close. Neither he nor the young woman regretted what they had done. The
Al-Orizin
cut through the water, her sails full, continuing into the wide unknown.

Away from the strange island that had been her prison for most of her life, Ystya continued to marvel at everything she saw: the spray dancing from the bow of the ship, the far gray horizon, the fish that leaped from the waves. He found her innocent joy refreshing and hypnotic. “So much ocean! What lies beyond there?” She pointed off toward the eastern horizon. “And there?”

“Unexplored lands. You and I will see them together, for the first time.”

Since escaping from the isolated island, the young woman had remained fearful of Iyomelka, but Saan comforted her. “Your mother is far away, and we're safe from her.” To pass the time as they gained more and more distance, he told her stories of brave Uraban voyages—some of them true and some completely fictitious.

Sen Sherufa also took the young woman under her wing, teaching her things she needed to know. Ystya was eager to learn about Uraba, about history, about the places on Sherufa's Saedran charts. Sikara Fyiri insisted on teaching Ystya about Urec's Log, but the girl just laughed, which the priestess found maddening.

Staying on deck for most of the day, Ystya continued to glance behind them from time to time, but she saw only a line of scattered clouds far on the horizon. “My mother will be very angry, you know.” She looked at Saan. “She will try to capture us.”

He gave a loud and confident laugh. “Oh, Iyomelka can rant all she wants, but what can she do? She has no ship, and we have been sailing for many days. Besides, now she has the island all to herself—maybe that's what she wanted.”

“No, that is not what my mother wants.”

Each night, Sen Sherufa attempted to read the star patterns overhead, but though the chartsman diligently recorded all the new information, she could not reconcile the constellations in the sky with the star patterns she had been taught.

Far behind the
Al-Orizin
, day after day, the line of storms continued to dog the ship, slowly gaining ground. Grigovar muttered that it might be something the old witch had called up after all, but Saan refused to consider the possibility.

For his own part, Yal Dolicar didn't seem concerned. “It was well worth stopping at the island, Captain. We got a hold full of treasure, and you got yours!”

Sherufa bustled out onto the deck in the afternoon, as clouds thickened overhead. She held the sympathetic journal in her hand. “There's a new inscription from Olabar!”

Saan grimaced, already soured by the idea. “And what poison does Villiki spread now? I'm surprised she bothered to write back. Did she take our warning to heart?”

The Saedran woman opened the book and pointed to the last half page on which words were written. “Villiki is gone! Read this.” The script was different, carefully formed, the letters almost childlike.

Saan did not bother to hide his surprise. “It's from my mother—and Istala wrote it.” He drank in the report of Villiki's treachery, the death of the ur-sikara, and the overthrow of the corrupt elements in the church. Saan called out, “Grigovar—go fetch Sikara Fyiri. This is news she needs to hear.”

When the priestess emerged from her cabin, looking annoyed, Saan let her read the entry for herself; when she was finished, Fyiri pushed the book away. “I don't believe any of this. It must be a trick, some kind of lie. Anyone can write falsehoods.”

Saan goaded her. “Ah, as you did? I trust my mother's report more than anything Villiki wrote.”

Fyiri remained unrepentant. “If this is true, then a great crime has been committed against the church of Urec. The former soldan-shah and the corrupt First Wife will pay for this.”

Saan chuckled at the empty threat and pulled Ystya close to him again. “This is a very good day.”

The man in the lookout nest whistled and extended his hand toward the horizon. “Captain, something dead ahead—like a long black line, or a wall!” Saan shaded his eyes and gazed toward the horizon.

“Is it the edge of the world?” Ystya asked. “Are we about to sail off?”

Saan responded with a laugh that he hoped sounded reassuring. “That's just a silly story used to frighten children and superstitious sailors. It's probably the coast of Terravitae.” The dark barrier extended as far as he could see. He took out his spyglass and peered through the lens. The strange black obstruction looked like a low
barrier
across the horizon, lying dead ahead of them.

And it was moving.

“It seems to have…
scales
,” Saan said. ‘‘Giant scales.''

Ystya took the spyglass from him and stared through it, using her keen eyesight. She had been fascinated by the spyglass and its magnifying lenses. Now she stiffened, and her skin went pale. Her hands trembled as she handed him back the glass. “It's Bouras—the Father of all Sea Serpents.”

Fyiri insistently held out her hand, and after Saan let her use the instrument, her voice held genuine fear. “I think the girl is right—it's the snake that encircles the world from horizon to horizon.” For the first time, the sikara appeared to be terrified.

Saan held up the spyglass once more, and saw that the image
did
appear to be the body of an inconceivably huge serpent. Its great scales blurred as it moved along, endlessly circling. This was a far larger creature than any other ocean beast he had ever encountered.

The lookout called again, “Captain! The storms are closing in behind us—and I don't think that wall of clouds is natural.”

Saan turned the spyglass in the opposite direction to look at the localized knot of storms that defied the prevailing winds, cut across the currents, and headed straight toward the
Al-Orizin
. He adjusted the lens, scanned slowly across the froth of churned water, the sheets of rain. He saw a corona of lightning. Rapidly striking bolts danced across the water in a spectral illumination.

At the center of the storm rode a tattered dark ship that glided through the furious whitecaps like a sharp knife. The sails of the wreck were torn, her hull rotted, masts and yardarms splintered.

And at the prow stood a woman who seemed to be driving the fury of the ocean, riding the storms, creating the power with her anger.
Iyomelka
.

Feeling his chest grow cold, Saan held Ystya more tightly. He made up his mind.

If they had indeed found the enormous serpent girdling the world, he could not imagine how the
Al-Orizin
would ever get past it, but he would not go back to the wrath of Iyomelka.

“Hold your course,” he shouted. “Continue straight ahead.”

125
The
Dyscovera

The Tierran sailors hauled up buckets of seawater to pour onto the deck so they could scrub away the bloodstains. His face stormy with anger, Criston Vora oversaw the efforts of the crew. Those men duped into following Prester Hannes did the worst jobs, guarded by the sailors who had remained loyal. The mutinous men appeared cowed, but several of them remained defiant and certain that Aiden's instructions to convert the mer-people had been clear.

They were all guilty, and they knew it. But if he executed every one of the mutineers by throwing them into the open sea, the
Dyscovera
would be little more than a ghost ship.

A shaken Sen Aldo had withdrawn to his cabin for a day, miserable over what had happened. He had been thrilled to rediscover his original people, but now he felt only failure. He had actually seen that the mer-Saedrans had a map to Terravitae… and now he had lost it.

Finally the distraught chartsman emerged to stand next to the captain. “I've tried to be tolerant, sir, even when Prester Hannes issued his inflammatory sermons. But those Saedrans were my lost brothers and sisters. His unreasoning hatred made me lose the greatest hope of my people! He had no right! How will they ever forgive us now?”

Criston shook his head. “Hannes may have triggered another war here. And Kjelnar…” He gave his head an angry shake. “We lost a good man, a brave sailor, and a friend. I considered him indispensible, but the
Dyscovera
will have to continue without him.” Anger and grief warred in his voice. “I don't know how Aiden can pardon us for the foolish offense we committed in his name.”

In all, they had lost six crewmen, only two of whom had been among the mutineers; ten more men were being held for defying the captain's authority. He had thought the cruel justice he had shown Enoch Dey would stifle any questioning of his authority. Prester Hannes had been the loudest voice calling for the would-be rapist's execution.

Yet Hannes had instigated this latest crime. Criston could not forgive himself for not recognizing the lengths to which the man's zeal would drive him. He had thought their shared tragedies, and recovery, would bind them together. Criston had believed he
understood
the man, but Hannes had turned on him.

Confined in his cabin and given only limited rations of ship's biscuit and water, the prester seemed ironically offended that Captain Criston Vora had turned against
him
and Aiden.

Criston knew that if he executed the man who represented their faith—not to mention their holy mission to discover the land of Terravitae—the whole crew would mutiny. And if the
Dyscovera
ever did reach their destination, how could he explain to Holy Joron that he had cast out the one man who spoke on behalf of Aiden?

Sen Aldo followed him as he walked toward the mounted compasses at the captain's wheel. During the fray with the mer-Saedrans, one of their three instruments had been irreparably smashed—the Captain's Compass, which pointed the way home to its twinned compass needle in Calay. The compass had been maliciously pummeled and destroyed, though no one had witnessed anything during the fight with the mer-Saedrans.

Criston could not shake the suspicion that someone had done it intentionally. But why? To prevent the ship from ever getting back home? It made no sense.

Nervous, the chartsman cleared his throat and held up small strips of paper on which he had printed dense coded characters. “Sir, we should send one of the
rea
pigeons to inform Sen Leo of what we found… and what we lost. I have to be honest with him, though he will be devastated.”

Criston felt the weight pressing on his shoulders. “Go ahead, Sen Aldo. They need to know. How many pigeons do we have left now, seven?”

“Yes, seven more chances to send a letter home. We are fortunate none of the birds were harmed in the recent fighting.”

“Seven will be enough.” Criston nodded absently, and Aldo went off in troubled silence.

A few moments later, having tied the letter securely to its leg, the chartsman brought his pigeon forward. They watched Aldo whisper something to the bird, then fling it into the air. With a steady beat of its wings, the pigeon circled upward and began winging its way into the distance.

Javian and Mia joined Criston at the compass station. “How far do you think we have to go to find Terravitae, Captain?” the young man asked.

Criston looked at the cabin boy, who stared at the smashed compass, knowing they could not now find their way home. Javian had been partly caught up in Prester Hannes's uprising, but Criston wanted to believe that the boy had seen the truth and changed his mind. Or was he just weak-willed?

“We go as far as we need to go. The
Dyscovera
will not turn back until we have looked into the eyes of Holy Joron.”

With a gasp, Mia pointed at the ancient relic of Aiden's Compass. “Look, Captain! I saw it move.”

Beneath the polished crystal plate, the golden needle twitched. The needle hovered to and fro… then reoriented, straightened, and pointed along a strong, true course. Toward Terravitae.

Glossary

ABILAN one of the soldanates of Uraba.

ADREA wife of Criston Vora, captured by Urecari raiders; now named Istar.

ADREALA first daughter of Adrea by Omra.

AIDEN one of the two brothers who sailed from Terravitae to discover the world. The descendants of his crew populated Tierra.

AIDEN'S COMPASS ancient relic whose needle will point back toward Terravitae.

AIDEN'S LIGHTHOUSE a tall lighthouse on the western side of Ishalem.

AIDENIST follower of the Book of Aiden.

AINI First Wife of Soldan Xivir from Missinia.

AL-ORIZIN
Uraban exploration ship.

ALAMONT one of the five reaches of Tierra, rich agricultural land led by Destrar Shenro.

ALDO NA-CURIC, SEN Saedran chartsman aboard the
Dyscovera
.

ALISI sister of Unwar, kidnapped by Tierran traders.

AMMUR SONNEN blacksmith who runs the largest smithy in Calay, father of Vicka.

ANCHOR constellation in the Tierran sky.

ANDOUK soldan of Yuarej, father of Cliaparia.

ANJINE daughter of King Korastine.

ARDAN subcomdar of the Tierran navy.

ARIKARA capital city of Missinia.

ARKSHIP ancient vessel wrecked in Ishalem, believed to be the original vessel belonging either to Aiden or Urec.

ASADDAN Nunghal refugee who crossed the Great Desert to Missinia.

ASHA second wife of Soldan-Shah Imir, murdered by Prester Hannes.

ATTAR soldan of Outer Wahilir, brother of Soldan Huttan, poisoned by Prester Hannes.

BAINE former prester-marshall of the Aidenist church, martyred with his followers in the ruins of Ishalem.

BELOS, SEN revered Saedran elder.

BIENTO NA-CURIC Saedran painter, Aldo's father.

BOOK OF AIDEN Aidenist holy book.

BORA'S BASTION capital city of Alamont Reach.

BOURAS legendary father of all sea serpents, supposedly girdles the world.

BROECK destrar of Iboria Reach, father of Ilrida, grandfather of Tomas.

BURIAN NA-COWAY Saedran model-maker.

BURILO son of Soldan Xivir from Missinia, Omra's cousin.

BURNET master carpenter in Soeland Reach.

CALAVIK capital city of Iboria Reach.

CALAY capital city of Tierra.

CAPTAIN'S COMPASS a compass that always points home.

CHARTSMAN a Saedran navigator possessing perfect memory.

CHERR, SEN revered Saedran elder.

CIARLO brother of Adrea, lame in one leg, prester of the town of Windcatch.

CINDON
Criston Vora's small boat, named after his father, sold before his voyage on the
Luminara
.

CINDON VORA father of Criston, a fisherman lost at sea.

CITHARA daughter of Cliaparia and Omra, now raised by Istar.

CLIAPARIA Omra's second wife, killed by Istar.

COMDAR leader of Tierran army and navy.

CORAG one of the five reaches of Tierra, a mountainous region led by Destrar Siescu.

CRISTON (2) infant son of Omra and Istar, murdered by Cliaparia.

CRISTON VORA captain of the
Dyscovera
, survivor of the
Luminara
expedition. Criston is married to Adrea (Istar), who was lost in a Urecari raid.

CUAR
Uraban unit of currency.

DAVIC apprentice and helper to Prester Ciarlo.

DAWSON ORIN young recruit in Tierran army.

DELNAS, COMDAR leader of the Tierran military, both land and sea forces.

DESERT HARBOR new settlement on the edge of the Great Desert, from which sand coracles launch.

DESTRAR the leader of one of the five Tierran reaches.

DILORA, PRESTER young prester in Calay.

DOLICAR, YAL confidence man who moves back and forth from Uraba to Tierra.

DYSCOVERA
Tierran ship built to explore the seas and find Terravitae, captained by Criston Vora.

EDICT LINE the boundary agreed to by the leaders of Tierra and Uraba, dividing the world in half.

ENIFIR Anjine's handmaiden, wife of Guard-Marshall Vorannen.

ENOCH DEY crewman aboard the
Dyscovera
.

EREO BORNAN father of Mateo, a captain in the royal guard who died saving the king.

ERIETTA one of the five reaches of Tierra, mainly rangeland, led by Destrar Unsul.

ERIMA ur-sikara from Lahjar, successor to Lukai.

EYE OF UREC symbol painted on the sails of Uraban ships.

FAAN protocol minister of Uraba.

FARPORT capital city of Soeland Reach.

FASHIA the wife of Urec.

FASHIA'S FOUNTAIN important shrine to Urecari faith.

FENNAN prester in the village of Windcatch, killed in Urecari raid.

FILLOK brother of the soldan of Outer Wahilir, killed in an ill-advised raid against a Tierran trading ship.

FIRUN old Aidenist slave at Gremurr mines, household servant to Tukar.

FURIC, SEN revered Saedran elder.

FYIRI prominent sikara in the church of Urec.

GAHARI Uraban merchant family.

GART young son of Destrar Unsul.

GOLDEN FERN fern with mythic properties, supposedly planted by Urec before he became the Traveler. Anyone who finds the fern is destined for greatness.

GOLDEN FERN
First Uraban ironclad warship, armored at Gremurr mines.

GREAT DESERT arid wasteland in the south of Uraba.

GREMURR secret Uraban mines on the northern coast of the Middlesea, in Tierran territory.

GRIGOVAR member of the
Al-Orizin
's crew, former reef diver from Lahjar.

HAKRI First Wife of Soldan Vishkar from Outer Wahilir.

HANNES prester who caused great damage to Uraba, was a slave at Gremurr mines, and escaped over the mountains to Tierra.

HIST subcomdar of the Tierran army.

HUREF soldan of Abilan.

HUTTAN soldan of Inner Wahilir, husband of Kuari.

IAROS nephew of Destrar Broeck, heir apparent of Iboria.

IBORIA one of the five reaches of Tierra, the region to the far north, led by Destrar Broeck.

ILNA NA-CURIC younger sister of Aldo.

ILRIDA daughter of Destrar Broeck, second wife of King Korastine, and mother of Prince Tomas; she died of tetanus.

IMIR former soldan-shah of the Urabans, father of Omra and Tukar, now retired.

INNER WAHILIR one of the soldanates of Uraba.

IREC Soldan-Shah Omra's second son, by his second wife Naori.

ISHALEM holy city considered the center of both the Aidenist and Urecari religions, burned in a great fire and now reclaimed by Uraba.

ISTALA second daughter of Adrea by Omra.

ISTAR (1) young wife of Zarif Omra, died in childbirth.

ISTAR (2) First Wife of Soldan-Shah Omra, mother of Saan, Adreala, and Istala; formerly Adrea, wife of Criston Vora.

IYOMELKA mysterious old crone living on an isolated island, mother of Ystya.

JAVIAN cabin boy aboard the
Dyscovera
.

JENIROD eldest son of Destrar Unsul of Erietta.

JERARD old prester aboard the
Luminara
, killed by a sea serpent.

JIKARIS khan of the Nunghal-Ari.

JILLAC military captain from Alamont, in charge of the prison camps.

JORON third son of Ondun, who remained behind in Terravitae when Aiden and Urec sailed away.

KEL rank of captain in the soldan-shah's palace guards.

KHALIG Uraban merchant, chosen by Kel Unwar as a messenger to Calay.

KHENARA port city on Oceansea coast of Uraba.

KILLIN NA-FAS Saedran apothecary.

KIRACLE Korastine's father, previous king of Tierra, killed by a lightning strike while out riding.

KIRK Aidenist church.

KJELNAR Iborian shipwright, builder of
Dyscovera
and her first mate.

KORASTINE the king of Tierra, father of Anjine and Tomas.

KUARI First Wife of Soldan Huttan from Inner Wahilir.

KURDA Soeland general in Tierran army.

LAHJAR port city on Oceansea coast of Uraba, the farthest settlement south.

LANDING DAY Aidenist festival commemorating the landing of Aiden's Arkship.

LANNI wife of Sen Aldo na-Curic, daughter of Sen Leo.

LEO NA-HADRA, SEN old Saedran scholar, adviser of King Korastine, teacher of Aldo na-Curic.

LEVIATHAN terrible sea monster that destroyed the
Luminara
.

LITHIO First Wife of Soldan-Shah Imir, mother of Omra, now estranged.

LUAREN sikara at Fashia's Fountain.

LUKAI former ur-sikara of the Urecari church, died after her involvement was exposed in a plot to poison Omra.

LUMINARA
magnificent exploration vessel dispatched from Tierra to discover the world, destroyed by the Leviathan.

MATEO BORNAN childhood friend of Anjine, former ward of King Korastine raised in the castle after his father Ereo was killed in the line of duty. Now subcomdar in the Tierran army, liaison to the throne.

MIA sailor aboard the
Dyscovera
.

MIDDLESEA vast sea to the east of Ishalem.

MIOR sailor aboard the
Dyscovera
.

MISSINIA one of the soldanates of Uraba.

NAORI third wife of Soldan-Shah Omra.

NORGO new leader of desert bandits harassing Desert Harbor.

NUNGHALS race inhabiting the Uraban continent tothe south of the Great Desert. They are composed of two branches, the nomadic Nunghal-Ari and the seafaring Nunghal-Su.

NUNGHAL-ARI nomadic branch of the Nunghals.

NUNGHAL-SU seafaring branch of the Nunghals.

OBERTAS marshall of the royal guard in Calay.

OCEANSEA vast sea to the west of Ishalem.

OENAR former soldan-shah of Uraba, great-grandfather of Imir, the subject of a large bronze statue that was melted down to make weapons.

OLABAR capital city of Uraba.

OLBA turbanlike head covering, usually white, worn by Urecari men.

OMIRR Soldan-Shah Omra's eldest son, by his second wife Naori; the zarif of Uraba.

ONDUN the creator of the world, father of three sons—Aiden, Urec, and Joron.

ONDUN'S LIGHTNING
ship on which Aldo served as chartsman.

OUROUSSA port city on Oceansea coast of Uraba.

OUTER WAHILIR one of the soldanates of Uraba.

PELITON capital city of Erietta Reach.

PILGRIM'S PATH processional path up the hill to the Arkship in Ishalem.

PILGRIMS' ROAD main north–south road through Tierra to Ishalem.

POL young son of Destrar Unsul.

PRESTER an Aidenist priest.

PRESTER-MARSHALL leader of the Aidenist church.

QUANAS captain of the
Sacred Scroll
.

RAATHGIR Iborian ice dragon, whose horn is said to be a talisman to ward off sea serpents.

RAGA VAR mountain scout in Corag.

RAVEN
small patrol ship on which Mateo served as first mate.

RA'VIR
Tierran child raised by Urecari to become a spy and a saboteur, named after an opportunistic bird that lays its eggs in other birds' nests.

REEFSPUR Tierran coastal fishing village.

RENNY young son of Destrar Unsul.

RICKAR FENN young recruit in Tierran army.

ROVIK kel of the soldan-shah's palace guards.

RUAD Nunghal-Su shipkhan, once an outcast, now captain of his own ship again.

RUDIO old, conservative prester-marshall, successor to Baine.

SAAN son of Criston and Adrea, raised by Soldan-Shah Omra.

SACRED SCROLL
Tierran trading ship where Alisi was held captive.

SAEDRANS “Ondun's Stepchildren,” independent people not descended from either Aiden or Urec. Saedrans serve as chartsmen, engineers, doctors, apothecaries, and in other scientific professions.

SAMFAIR finance minister of Uraba.

SAND DERVISHES desert demons who lure travelers into the sand.

SAPIER grandson of Aiden, founder of Aidenist church. In a legend, he caught a sea serpent with a fishhook and rode it to safe waters.

SAZAR leader of a clan of rivermen; he calls himself the “river destrar.”

SEN term of respect and accomplishment for Saedrans.

SENA first wife of King Korastine, mother of Anjine; died from pneumonia.

SHARIQUE wife of Yuarej soldan Andouk, mother of Cliaparia.

SHAY, CAPTAIN ANDON captain of the
Luminara
.

SHENRO destrar of Alamont Reach.

SHERUFA NA-OA, SEN Saedran scholar in Olabar.

SHIELTAR former soldan-shah, grandfather of Omra, who was injured by an arrow when he led an abortive raid into Tierra.

SHIPKHAN captain's title among the Nunghals.

SIESCU destrar of Corag Reach.

SIKARA priestess in the Urecari church.

SILAM HENNER crewman aboard the
Dyscovera
.

SIOARA a port on the Middlesea, capital of Inner Wahilir.

SOELAND one of the five reaches of Tierra, a group of islands led by Destrar Tavishel.

SOLDAN leader of one of the regions of Uraba.

SOLDAN-SHAH the soldan of soldans, leader of all Uraba.

SONHIR leader of the undersea people of the sunken Saedran continent.

STONEHOLM capital city of Corag Reach.

TAVISHEL destrar of Soeland Reach.

TEACHER mysterious hooded figure in charge of Omra's
ra'vir
program.

TELHA VORA mother of Criston, killed in Urecari raid on Windcatch.

TENÉR port city on Oceansea coast of Uraba.

TERRAVITAE the original land where Ondun created his people, from which Aiden and Urec departed on their voyage.

TESHA First Wife of Soldan Huref from Abilan.

TIERRA the northern continent, composed of five reaches; its population follows the Aidenist religion.

TIRA young woman in Calay, trained as a
ra'vir
.

TOLLI name used by Anjine as her alternate childhood identity.

TRAVELER wandering old man who leaves tales of his travels, rumored to be either Aiden or Urec.

TYCHO kitten given to Anjine by Mateo; also name used by Mateo as his alternate childhood identity.

UALFOR emissary from Soldan Huttan of Inner Wahilir.

UISHEL young woman from Soeland, Mateo's first love.

UNSUL destrar of Erietta Reach.

UNTRA former soldan-shah, grandfather of Imir.