Sapphira fought the bridle, ignored Calik's commands, and went for the mast that was no longer protected by a shield. Having a ship blown out from beneath you would break the most focused mage's concentration.

The power channeled through that mast had hurt her sister. Sapphira was determined to hurt that mast.

As she soared up its length, Sapphira snapped her massive tail like a whip, breaking the mainmast in half as the ship exploded.

"Must have hit the powder room," Calik shouted as Sapphira allowed herself to be brought back under control.

Just before the ship exploded, I got a good look at the faces of the alien mages. Taller than the human Nebian sailors by at least a foot, they had dark green faces, scaled dark green faces.

One face wasn't green or scaled. It was pale gray and beautiful. A goblin. I recognized the cloak and hood.

Bricarda.

Her hood fell back as she smiled up at me and waved, then she vanished just as she had in the street two blocks from my home-a spilt second before the Nebian ship exploded.

"When the second ship blew, the Wraith and the two demon ships disappeared," Phaelan was saying. "Even a cannonball that was headed straight for our mainmast vanished into thin air."

Talon was having his arm wrapped by the ship's doctor. It was a relatively minor injury, so he had waited until others with worse injuries had been treated. One of those had been Agata. Talon had insisted that she go before him. She refused because Talon's injury was worse. He re-insisted. Agata refused his re-insistence. Then they argued until Kesyn stepped in, took charge, and got them both patched up.

"He did a fine job," Phaelan was saying. "You would have been proud." He paused and thought. "Or maybe pissed. Proud and pissed."

I smiled. "I often experience that with him. What did he do?"

"Put himself and his blades in front of four of my wounded crew. Most of the goblins have some fighting magic to go with their blade work. My elves don't. Maybe I need to think about recruiting some battle mages."

"Present and possible future situations considered, I think that would be a good idea. Markus Sevelien is Imala's equivalent in elven intelligence. I'm sure he'd be able to make some recommendations and introductions."

Phaelan glanced back at Talon. "He's a brave young man. Refused to back down. I didn't want to leave him on his own, but I didn't have a choice. We were overrun."

"Casualties?"

Phaelan scowled. "Ten. Which is ten too many considering we were fighting magic replicas of dead men."

"You said ten," I said quietly, seeing the bodies covered by tarps. Six had pale skin. The other four had gray. "Not six elves and four goblins."

"I did, didn't I?" he said, looking out over the main deck at the crew clearing the debris and making repairs. "They're not elves or goblins now; they're my crew, and they will be for as long as this voyage lasts."

From his tone, Phaelan Benares sounded as if he wouldn't mind making the arrangement permanent.

"Your teacher deflected a yardarm blasted over from the Wraith that would've killed at least half a dozen more," Phaelan continued. "Magic killed ten of my crew, but it saved far more."

"So you're saying magic isn't the bane of your existence any longer?"

"Let's just say that I'm reserving judgment."

Chapter 34.

Once the two Nebian ships were destroyed, communication was restored, and I contacted Regor and the Isle of Mid with a report of what had happened.

Not surprisingly, the Nebians had not lodged a complaint or filed charges against us with the Conclave. Either they knew of their ships' destruction and chose to remain silent, since they had been the aggressor, or we had taken out the ships before they could send a distress signal.

Hopefully, this meant the only danger would come from ahead of us in Aquas, but we would keep an eye out for pursuers-by sea, air, or from beneath the water.

The last option was what was keeping all of us on edge.

We were slightly past the halfway point of the voyage. If the weather held, another two weeks would put us on the shores of Aquas.

I debated attempting to unlock Rudra Muralin's book again, but instead I chose what I hoped would be a more enjoyable and satisfying option-a nap. After what I'd done, my body could use the rest, but that wouldn't be the enjoyable or satisfying part.

That part would come when Sarad Nukpana put in another appearance in my dreams and I could get my hands around his neck.

I've always been a patient man, but there was nothing like the sensation of immediate gratification.

My dream's location was the same as last time. Once again, Sarad Nukpana was waiting for me.

And I was ready for him.

This was my dream and I took charge of it.

The next instant had me slamming Sarad onto the rocky ground with my hands around his throat.

No demons battling in our stead, no magic, just us.

Now this was more like it.

If I needed any more proof that somehow, some form of Sarad Nukpana was wreaking havoc in the dreamscape, I had it now. Sarad Nukpana had a black eye, courtesy of Agata Azul and her rocks.

Though right now Sarad wasn't choking.

He was laughing.

I wanted to tighten my grip, snap his neck, and permanently wipe that smirk off his face, but curiosity as to why he was laughing won out.

I could always resume choking him later.

"I had nothing to do with that attack," he managed. "But that doesn't mean I can't admire the artistry."

My fists twitched with the need to add substantially to the Agata-inflicted black eye. "Artistry?" I snarled. "Men and women died."

"As we will all do eventually. They gave their lives in defense of their ship and comrades in arms. Isn't that the very definition of a good death? You can't tell me you actually want to die in your sleep of old age."

I shoved him away from me and bared my teeth in a ferocious smile. "No, but I'd love for you to die in my sleep."

Sarad pulled himself up against a rock and leaned back. "I've discovered through experience that it's impossible to die in a dream-or to kill another. Otherwise, I assure you, my dear Tamnais, I would have made the attempt. I lost nothing in letting you have a go at me. Do you feel better now? Or do you still have additional barbarism to get out of your system?"

"If you didn't personally oversee those mages, that doesn't mean you didn't know about it-or your lady friend, Bricarda."

"I would hardly describe Bricarda as a friend, more like a shapely jailer." He smiled, slow and lascivious. "With certain benefits. I can honestly say that Hell hasn't been all that hellish."

"If I had known that, I would have arranged to have had you taken somewhere else."

"And miss out on getting a chance to choke me? Not to mention the satisfaction of again having an adversary worthy of your intellect and skill. I have made your life infinitely more exciting. Admit it, you've been bored since I've been gone. I can't imagine how tedious your workday in the palace must be. Attempting to discover who the traitors are, and when you find them, agonizing over their fates."

"Actually, not only have I not agonized over their fates, I haven't even lost sleep over it. They signed their death warrants when they allied themselves with you."

"Death warrants?" Sarad gasped in mock horror. "You don't mean to tell me that you and Imala have been executing people?"

"Imprisonment merely gives them the opportunity to escape. The risk is too great. There is no redemption for these people. Once we're convinced of their guilt, yes, there have been executions. Unfortunately, there will be many more."

"Why Tamnais, I have misjudged you. Perhaps there is hope for you yet."

"Yes, there is hope for me. Unlike you, I derive no pleasure from my actions. They are merely unavoidable. It's the price that must be paid to ensure peace and the survival of the goblin people."

"It will be interesting to see how long your peace lasts. You will find that your beloved goblin people bore easily. There is no challenge in peace, no us versus them, no hunting your enemies in the dark of night. Quite frankly, you've taken away our collective reason to live."

"If you don't wish to go on living, I would be the last person to attempt or even want to stop you."

"I'm sorry, but that decision is not in your hands." He flashed a smile. "At least not here and not now."

"I can wait. I'm certain that you'll con or bribe your way out of Hell eventually." I gave him a smile of my own. "And when that happens, I'll be waiting for you." I leaned back against what appeared to be a petrified tree and crossed my arms over my chest.

My ring glinted in the light, just as I hoped it would.

In my first dream, when Sarad put in an appearance, I'd quickly turned the stone and its dragon setting around and kept my fingers wrapped around it. This time, I make sure the ring was clearly visible.

Sarad's dark eyes glittered in raw avarice when he saw it. "A piece of the Heart of Nidaar. Agata refused to let me examine hers."

I gestured toward his black eye. "So I heard. When a lady says 'no' that is precisely what she means. Get used to disappointment."

"So where were they? I tore your house apart searching for them."

"They were kept safe. And the damage to my home is merely another in the long list of payments that you owe me. Payments I fully intend to collect."

"Get in line, Tamnais."

"If there is a line, I'll be the first one in it."

Sarad's lips curled in a sly smile. "I still say there is hope for you. I was not surprised that Bricarda failed in her attempt to secure Agata's services. I warned her about you. Once again you arrived in time to protect a fair maiden. My mother knows about the ring and pendant, and I would imagine she is aware of Agata as well. Your work there may have just begun. Fun times ahead for all of us."

"Speaking of your mother, you said Sandrina intended to assassinate you."

Sarad hesitated before answering, not sure of my intent. "Yes."

I furrowed my brow. "Then her stealing your body truly doesn't make any sense."

"She stole my what?"

"Your body. The one you regenerated and then abandoned in order to possess me. It was preserved in a crystal coffin and locked in a tower in the Guardians' citadel. Sathrik threatened to go to war to get it back, but I assume by that time you were content to remain in the newly dead body of your Uncle Janos."

I was certain Sarad heard me talking; however, my words were merely background noise to his racing thoughts.

"If your mother wants you dead," I mused, "what could she possibly want with your dead and magically preserved body?"

To say that Sarad had had bad luck as far as keeping a body was concerned was a vast understatement.

The body Sarad had been born with had been vaporized when he'd been consumed by the Saghred. When his soul escaped the Saghred, he had no body for his soul to call home. Sarad resorted to the cha'nescu, a ritual in which he fed on the living, absorbing their souls and life forces to regenerate his body. Once he had taken enough, he became corporeal again. Sarad lost that body when he abandoned it to possess mine. Raine shooting me through the heart killed my body and forced Sarad's soul out. He fled into the newly dead body of his uncle, Janos Ghalfari. Later, after he had stolen the Saghred, his contact with the stone gave him the power to alter Janos's body and features into his own.

"You sent me to Hell," Sarad was saying, "but I still have my body. What could Mother possibly be up to?"

"She left a note for Raine on top of your glass coffin. It said: 'You destroyed my world. I will destroy yours.'"

"I could see where destroying me would destroy my mother's world. Though it would not be because she'd lost her beloved son. Mother's great gift has always been her ability to use men. Now your mother has a talent worth having. She is a true artist. She did an exceptional job killing Sathrik Mal'Salin and opening up the way for me to the goblin throne. She even took out Sathrik's annoyingly persistent chief bodyguard in the process. One bolt, two birds. When you next see her please convey my deepest and most sincere gratitude. My mother, on the other hand, was terribly disappointed when she discovered that she could not bend me to her will. She put on a convincing act, but I'm quite sure she was delighted to see that bull demon carrying me off into the Lower Hells."

"I wouldn't know; I was busy staying alive at the time. I do know that Raine and Mychael found tears on the lid of your coffin along with the note."

Sarad laughed. "Are you sure it wasn't spit?"

"I didn't see it myself."

"I can assure you, my dear Tamnais, my mother has no interest in seeing me freed. She cannot control the Khrynsani. Not due to any lack of iron will. Khrynsani law forbids it. We're strictly a boys-only club. Not to mention my inner circle hates Mother nearly as much as I do."

"Hmm, that's interesting considering who your mother went to Timurus with."

Sarad went utterly still. "Timurus?"

"That was where you told your inner circle to go should the temple ever fall, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but Mother was never told that."

"Have you ever found out about plans you weren't included in?" I asked. "Because I have. Many times."

"Point taken."

"Apparently things didn't go exactly as planned while there." I told him about the unsuccessful Rak'kari infestation, and the new friends Sandrina and Sarad's unfaithful inner circle made while on the alien world.

"For some unknown reason, she's allied herself and the remains of your Khrynsani with the alien invader who stripped Timurus of life about seven hundred years ago. That isn't quite what you had in mind for our world, was it? If the invaders devour everyone, who would you have left to rule, subjugate, and oppress?"